


Reset (Your Love for Me)

by spacebiotics



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Manipulation, Explicit Language, Gangsters, Gavin Reed is Bad at Feelings, M/M, Mafia AU, Manipulation, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Is Bad at Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:07:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27697379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacebiotics/pseuds/spacebiotics
Summary: Gavin and Richard had it all; a loving relationship, an apartment together, a life, until one day, Richard got captured on a raid gone wrong. One of Detroit's most notorious gangs were after Richard specifically and Gavin had to watch the love of his life get reset before his very eyes.He got knocked out and when he woke up, with no Richard in sight, all Gavin could do was assume the worst.Fast forward six months, Gavin and the DPD are still chasing the gang, but now they have to deal with an extremely ruthless new gangster called Nines...
Relationships: Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Comments: 80
Kudos: 161
Collections: Reed900 Reverse Big Bang





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my entry for the Reed900 Reverse Big Bang!
> 
> I got partnered with the lovely Souleixx, whose original artwork inspired this lovely mafia au of sorts, so please, drop them some love in the comments! They've drawn three pieces, all of which I'll hopefully include over the course of the fic, the next of which will be coming in chapter three! 
> 
> Also a big thank you to my girl Bones for beta'ing, I appreciate it so much like always!  
> With all of the formalities out of the way, I hope you enjoy!  
> (All chapters to come weekly until fic is completed, so see you here next Wednesday!)

_Gavin wasn’t even sure how it happened._

_They had been chasing the Syndicate for months and had been meticulous in their planning._

_They thought they had covered every possible outcome, mapped out every possible corner of the warehouse they’d be raiding, crossed every ‘t’ and dotted every fucking ‘i’, but no amount of planning could account for just sheer dumb fucking luck._

_You couldn’t plan for human unpredictability._ _  
_ _  
_ _That and they had played straight into a trap._

_The two of them had thought that the informant they had captured on a previous raid was just that, captured. Not that they were a fucking plant, working for the Syndicate the entire time._

_So, someone had silently slipped alongside Gavin, grabbed him from behind, put a gun to his head and forced Richard to stand down._

_Then it wasn’t long before Gavin was swarmed and that was how he ended up now strong armed to the floor, face held in place as he was forced to watch not only his partner, but the love of his life get reset in front of his eyes._

_They had been after Richard specifically._

_He was an RK900 unit. A one of a kind military-grade model. He even had a black carbon-fibre chassis, as was the norm for that type of class, so rumours were bound to start spreading amongst the criminal underbelly. Hell, rumours spread around different fucking precincts about him. Richard, the infamous, one-of-a-kind RK900 model that could punch clear through six foot of concrete, but had a soft spot for kittens. Yeah, no fucking wonder._

_The amount of training Gavin received couldn’t have prepared him for this._

_The sick fear that sat in his stomach as he saw Richard’s steel-grey eyes eventually manage to focus on him and him alone. It was a hell of a thing effectively having to watch the love of your life die in front of your eyes._

_He tried to struggle against the strong arms that were pinning him to the floor of the warehouse. “Get the fuck off me! F-fuck you!” Gavin spat as he feebly tried to kick out his leg and break free. All it earned him was a hard punch straight to face._

_This shouldn’t have happened. They had been so careful._

_There was such force behind the punch that his head snapped in the opposite direction, it slamming hard against the concrete. His adrenaline thundered through his veins, his heart hammered in his ears._

_Gavin’s head fucking spun and somewhere in the back of his mind, he was honestly surprised he was still conscious. There was a strange buzzing that settled in his hearing._

_A tinnitus-like ring similar to that which set in after an explosion._

_It grew so loud he almost couldn’t hear, fear gripping tighter at his stomach as he saw Richard’s mouth moving but realised he couldn’t hear the words over his own fucking heartbeat._

_Gavin swallowed down his panic, pushed it down as far as it could go and practically fucking willed himself into hearing his partner speak. He had to._

_“-vin? Gavin? Hey... Look at me.”_

_His eyes managed to focus back on Richard, who was strung up in a make-shift technician's cradle a few feet away, data cable jabbed into the back of his neck. The dumbass had voluntarily stepped into it when the gun against Gavin’s head was cocked._

_“... It’s going to be okay.”_

_That sad smile and the way Richard had said those words in a soft, hushed tone had tears instantly welling in Gavin’s eyes._

_Gavin tensed his muscles; some last burst of energy he didn’t even know he had, a last ditch attempt at breaking free as he fought against the bodies on top of him. For some reason, the feeling settled in his gut that this was it, that whatever was going to come out of Richard’s mouth would be the last thing he was ever going to say._

_He saw thirium-based tears slip down Richard’s face and in the muted light of the warehouse, they seemed to almost glow, leaving silvery-blue tracks down his cheeks._

_It hit Gavin to his very core._

_Richard was his rock. The one that never faltered, the one who grounded him and made him strive to be better._

_In all their months together, he had never seen Richard cry, but here the android was. His big stoic tank that could withstand showers of bullets, that could bend steel and move mountains, was crumbling before his very eyes._

_Gavin felt his heart shattering into pieces._

_“Look at me… It’s-It’s going... to be okay.”_

_Every word that Richard spoke sounded more laborious than the last and Gavin couldn’t stop his own tears from falling._

_He pulled his mouth into a silent snarl; he wanted to cry out, scream, curse until he was blue in the fucking face, but nothing came out of Gavin’s mouth._

_He couldn’t do a fucking thing._

_“Know that… Know that I-I love you… always-”_

_He never heard what was going to come next._

_Gavin was pistol whipped against the back of his head, his vision went black, his head hitting the ground as he lost consciousness and those heartfelt words were the last thing he ever heard._

__

His work alarm went off and Gavin fumbled with his phone that was on the nightstand. He tapped it off, gripped it tight in his hand as he ran his other down over his face, it flopping back down onto the bed as his eyes flickered over to the space beside him.

It never got any easier.

Richard had gotten taken six months ago. 

It had been six months since he had to watch the android he loved be reset before his very eyes. There hadn’t been any rumours since, absolutely nothing, so all everyone could do was assume he was dead. 

Probably broken down and stripped for parts. 

The Quantum Syndicate had become infamous in Detroit. Even before the revolution, they kidnapped androids and wiped their memories. 

The ones they deemed worth the time, they plied with encrypted data and the android essentially became a walking Secure Shell, an SSH, a storehouse for information on anything and everything. Then they were sold to the highest bidder. 

If at any time the android became compromised, if they were intercepted and picked up by the cops, an underlying program the Syndicate planted in the unit would cause a total system wipe; scrambling the data and killing the android in the process.

No loose ends. 

Any other androids they captured were essentially killed; stripped for parts or plowed for memories and data, anything that could be sold on the black market. 

It wasn’t only through legal means that androids had become big business. 

After their botched raid all those months ago, the Syndicate became even more bold. Ramped up their operations and thought they were untouchable.

Any gang that got like that were bad fucking news.

Gavin hadn’t even had the time to properly grieve. 

He stayed in bed for a few minutes, staring up at the ceiling before he finally pulled himself up with a sigh. He threw his legs over the side, feet planted firmly on the floor as he gripped the edge of the mattress in his hands. 

It’s not like people hadn’t tried to help.

Hank and Connor had both been there for him. Tina had been nothing but supportive. Chris had been understanding. But every time someone brought up the notion of him going and seeing someone, that he should talk to a therapist over what happened, Gavin shot them down.

It’s not like he had regressed back into being a complete asshole with no regards for those around him, Gavin had thankfully moved past that. He had been there and done that with Richard; when they were first partnered together, Gavin had done the whole ‘asshole, piece of shit partner’ schtick. But, he mellowed out, mainly worked through his anger and really fell into their partnership.

They grew closer, fell into each other’s rhythms and Richard managed to find a strange sense of appreciation for Gavin’s weird standoffish humour and whenever the man got into a mood, Richard gave as good as he got. 

That year after when they got together was the best year of his life.

But, after Gavin lost him, he threw himself into his work; his temper became a lot shorter and he refused to take another partner. Instead, he got paired off with Hank and Connor, the three of them still working towards taking down the Syndicate; it suited them all perfectly, but it was no secret in the precinct that no one else wanted to work with Gavin.

He had roughly forty-five minutes to get ready, have breakfast and drive himself to work if he wasn’t going to be late.

Gavin tried to stifle a yawn, pushing down the thoughts and memories that always tried to creep on him first thing in the morning as he finally stretched up his arms, flexing out his muscles as he shook out any lingering tiredness. 

What he needed was a shower and some coffee.

He rubbed his hands down his face one last time, pulling himself up from the bed as he hooked up his phone to the bluetooth sound system integrated into his entire apartment, the soft sounds of some 80s playlist filling his bedroom as he walked towards the bathroom. 

Twenty minutes later and Gavin was leaning against his kitchen counter, all dressed, leather jacket included and he was ready to go. He had a coffee mug in hand whilst he was waiting for some toast to pop up out of the toaster. 

One thing that Richard had managed to drill into his head was that five cups of coffee was not a good substitute for eating actual food for breakfast.

As he waited, he could just imagine the android laughing, offering him a warm smile as he poked fun at his cooking skills, wondering if he was going to burn his toast, even if the toaster had a timer to stop that from happening. But somehow he would always manage and somehow Richard always found it endearing, if not a little amusing.

Gavin took a slow sip of his coffee, hard gaze staring straight at his wooden floor as that thought swirled around in his mind.

Richard had been a great cook. 

He missed the breakfasts he used to make whenever he managed to wake up before Gavin had even thought about getting out of bed. 

Gavin was pretty sure he could burn water if he tried hard enough. 

He sniffed in a hard breath through his nose before the sound of the toaster managed to break through his thoughts and he downed the rest of his coffee. He fished the chocolate spread out of the cupboard, spread on a rather generous amount before he chucked the knife in the sink and shoved the toast into his mouth.

Gavin held it there as he made sure that he had his badge and gun strapped to his hips; he slipped his phone into his jacket and grabbed an apple off the counter before he headed to the door. He also picked up the travel mug by the sink that he'd filled with more coffee earlier.

Once he was out in the corridor, he set his jaw and almost forced himself to eat.

It was another day, but it was also another chance to get one step closer at trying to bring down the Syndicate, get _some_ justice over what happened to Richard.

It wasn’t perfect, but together with Hank and Connor, they were working towards staging another raid. They had been planning this for months. 

This time, it would be different and Gavin would take what he could get.

Once he had gotten down into his building’s parking garage and into his car, considering traffic was light, it only took Gavin ten minutes to get to the station. 

He arrived early and bar Captain Fowler, was one of the first ones there. 

When he had been partnered with Richard, his penchant for punctuality had rubbed off on him, as had a lot of other little things. His partner had managed to soften him around the edges and whilst not everything had stuck, Gavin’s temper starting to rear itself again but in different ways, Richard’s meticulous time keeping methods had lingered. 

He set his travel mug down on his desk and slid into his chair, the one next to him was still vacant. He had made sure no one was able to use it. 

Gavin had removed the sparse amounts of personal trinkets that Richard had kept on his desk; a picture of him and Connor together outside some apartment building on the day they had cracked a particularly difficult case, another picture of him and Gavin together at last year’s precinct Christmas party, a small hardy succulent in a pastel pink ceramic pot that he had imaginatively named ‘Succulent’ - those were all back at their apartment. 

The only thing that remained behind was the nameplate that everyone knew should go, that Gavin knew should go, but nobody in the station dared remove. 

He took a swig from his coffee before he powered on his computer, his eyes flickering over to the little clear plaque, the holo-interface glitching just slightly before the lettering settled back into line, the name clearly readable even in reverse.  
  
**_RICHARD_ **

Gavin didn’t want to remove it until he was one hundred percent sure his partner was dead, until he had proof or his body back. CyberLife had Richard’s memories backed up, they could easily put them into a different body, but coupled with the law, there was just something about that which rubbed him up the wrong way.  
  
He loved Richard for everything he was, including the physical, the tangible stuff he could touch and see. Gavin loved the freckles on his back, the way his muscles moved and hitched under his skin and his steel grey eyes. Hell, he even loved his black chassis whenever his nanites would recede whenever they got intimate or whenever his boyfriend had the courage to show him.

That’s what made Richard, well, _Richard_. 

It was the age old philosophical debate of what made someone human.

Was it their memories? Their thoughts? Their experiences? What some people would call a soul? Or was it also the physical? The body? And them working in harmony that made someone who they were?

It was a debate Gavin had never cared for because in that aspect, he had always been steadfast in his beliefs. That, or perhaps he was just a little too _human_. 

Death was death, you stayed fucking dead.

That was why he was so unsure if he even had the stomach to approve the procedure of reactivation if they ever found Richard’s body. That was outside of trying to circumnavigate a very specific law relating to android-death that was in place. 

Connor had argued countless times that androids had a different notion of existence, that their consciousness wasn’t limited by a physical body, but Gavin had always argued back that the RK line was only granted that through CyberLife privilege. The average android off the street, someone who was working a nine to five, didn’t usually have a backup of their memories if they died.

They were gone for good.

Gavin had never had that conversation with Richard, they hadn’t been at that stage of their relationship where it had become a sticking point before everything had happened. 

Would Richard transfer his backup memories into another body if he died? Gavin had always selfishly wished that they would never have to have that conversation, but he never thought that it would arise due to circumstances like this. 

The login screen flickering into existence out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, it thankfully snapping Gavin out of his thoughts before they could spiral and the man turned back to face his computer with a sniff.

He had ten minutes before Hank and Connor would arrive. 

Ten minutes to sort out and forward all of the new information collected over the past week to their makeshift base of operations in one of the offices deeper within the building.

They had made no new arrests, hadn’t for a while, so it was just pure sorting through reconnaissance and field work. The three of them were closing in on another Quantum Syndicate hit. They had followed the fucking book this time and put in the work to make sure this one would go off without a hitch.

Besides, Fowler had made it pretty clear that there were not to be any more slip ups, big or small.

The raid was to be on a nightclub that, thanks to many weeks of painstaking work, they had learnt was a front for the gang. It was run under some new blood, someone who had shot up through the ranks in a matter of a few months.

The police didn’t have a clue what they looked like, all they had was a name.

Nines.

That and they knew of their ruthless reputation. 

Gavin, Hank and Connor were hoping to stage the raid whilst they were still there which meant that they would be able to arrest them and put a serious dent in the Syndicate’s runnings. That was the hope, anyway.

“How ya doin’, son? Ready for another day of staring at a fuckin’ wall?” That gruff voice that sounded from somewhere behind him pulled Gavin from his thoughts and he turned to face Hank, his features pulling into a frown when he realised Connor wasn’t with him. 

“The fuck is Connor?” He could have softened the snappiness in his tone as he stretched up his arms with a quick yawn, but Gavin didn't have energy. 

“Good morning to you too, asshole.” Hank quipped back with no real bite.

“Oh, sorry… _Good morning,_ _Lieutenant_ _,_ where the fuck is Connor?” Gavin paused, unable to help the smirk that crossed his face as he pulled himself up out of his chair, “That better?”  
  
Their relationship had definitely improved somewhat, into playful banter and insults that didn’t stick because neither of them really meant it. 

“With you, Reed? I’ll take what I can get.”  
  
Gavin stifled a smile as he shot Hank the finger, the older man barking out a laugh before the both of them softened their body language and settled down.

It was their version of hello and it suited them just fine.

“Connor’s already making his way towards base.” Hank answered as he crossed his arms over his chest, clearly waiting for Gavin to gather his shit so they could leave. “I know you’re eager to get to work, but behave and he’s got doughnuts.”

“From ‘Dutch Girl’?”  
  
“Uh huh. Figured since it’s Friday, we could use a treat.” 

It also helped that Gavin and Hank loved the same doughnut shop that was up near Connor’s apartment.  
  
Gavin swiped his travel mug from where he had placed it down and shoved his chair under his desk in one swift motion, following Hank further into the station once the man turned on his heel and set off from the bullpen. 

As they made their way through the precinct, they shared some small talk, the lieutenant making sure that Gavin had forwarded all the relevant information to their little makeshift base. The last few pieces of the puzzle they needed.

They were so close.  
  
Close to making something work. Close to making a dent in the Syndicate and after what happened with Richard, they were all after a win.  
  
It wouldn’t be akin to getting closure, but at least getting some sense of justice was a step in the right direction.

  
****

  
  
  


He leaned back in his leather chair, twirling himself around so he could see out of the window that sat just behind his desk, his eyes catching on the neon white CyberLife blazer that hung on the outside of the little wardrobe he kept in his office.

It was a reminder of his old life, the one he’d been rescued from six months ago.

He didn’t remember anything from whatever he’d been before; no people, places, he had no memories whatsoever, but he knew the Syndicate went to great lengths to liberate him and for that, he was grateful.

Not that he hadn’t been told stories. 

The boss had been after him specifically, had heard the rumours of a fearsome military-grade RK unit that had been shackled by CyberLife into a life that seemed beneath someone of that calibre. 

Shackled into a life that seemed below someone that had the drive to get anything done, playing babysitter to the law, playing a cop, when they were supposed to be a ruthless killer. It would be a shame to let someone like that go to waste, so the Syndicate had set a trap and the rest was history.

He was reset and finally made into his own person. 

Just because he had captured the attention of the boss, a man simply known as Donovan, didn’t mean he was welcomed into the Syndicate with open arms, he still had to prove himself and his loyalties.

He underwent initiation and took a new name. 

He started as a footsoldier, just like everyone else and it took him months to rise through the ranks. Months of blood, coercion and brutal sheer will to get to where he was now.  
  
The Quantum Syndicate’s second, the muscle, sitting in his own office above The Nexus, the nightclub that Donovan had trusted him with.

He reached out, grabbing the tumbler of chilled thirium whiskey that he had poured for himself off his desk, the muted neon blue liquid managing to capture the vibrant lights of the city through the window as he leaned back as he took a leisurely sip.

He was dressed head to toe in black, the form fitting dress pants and tight shirt accentuating his features; highlighting his frame, hugging his muscles and broad shoulders. He had a black shoulder holster, his twin black Colts sitting snug against his chest.

The only colour came from the red detailing on his waistcoat, it matching the shiny dark red tie he was wearing. He even had a black ‘ **IX** ’ tattooed on the right side of his neck, the thick Roman numerals standing proud against his pale skin.

It had been a hassle getting it burned into his black chassis underneath, the tattoo sat white when his nanites receded and black whenever it sat on top of his synthetic skin, but it was worth the pain.

It was a work of art. He had gotten it the moment he had settled on a name for himself, so it could act as a constant reminder of who he was now.

Nines. 

A ruthless killer. A gangster.

Someone to be feared. 

He had taken to his new life like a duck to water, he was fucking good at what he did and it suited him perfectly.

Nines leaned back as he took another sip of his drink, studying the city with careful steel-grey eyes as he thought. Night was quickly closing in on Detroit, meaning that The Nexus would actually play the part of the front it was. Soon it would be full of drunk patrons, grinding and moving to the music way into the early hours of the morning, all of them unaware of what happened in the basement underneath.

The club had become the Syndicate's new android operating base. Any androids they captured, if they weren’t candidates for induction, were stripped for parts or mined for data before their memories were wiped so they could become shells.

Nines’ internal chronometer told him it was 7PM and a knock on the door drew his attention. 

Donovan had trusted him with his own small team and his second that he had chosen was always punctual, Nines had made sure. 

Within the Syndicate, someone with authority was only as good as the sum of their parts. Both respect and loyalty were commanded through action and one of the few lessons that Donovan had taught him was to be merciless in demand, set rules and to run a tight ship.

This type of life didn’t do kindly to those with a softer disposition.

Nines always chose his words carefully and perhaps it was because he was built like a tank and wasn’t afraid to kill someone the minute they stepped a toe out of line, but he commanded loyalty without even trying. 

Donovan had carved out a name for himself within the Syndicate and so had he, stepping up gang operations and endowing them with a renewed fervor in the few months he’d been active. That type of reputation garnered interest quickly and Nines soon had members from various branches of the Syndicate throwing themselves at his feet.

“Enter.” Nines didn’t even bother turning his attention to the door as it opened, his gaze still intently focused on the city skyline through the window.

He heard Zero come to a stand in front of his desk and it was only after a few moments that Nines’ eyes flickered over and took in the man in front of him.

Impeccably dressed in a form-fitting black suit and shirt, the silver-toned stud collar chain that sat delicately on top of his tie caught the dim soft light of the office and offered the only colour to his outfit. It matched his hair and his muted silver undercut was styled perfectly.

Zero was a codename. 

He even had a little ‘ **0** ’ tattooed on his right index finger, just above the knuckle. 

It was tattooed on his trigger finger.

Nines never asked what his real name was, he didn’t care. 

The man’s piercing green eyes held his own for a moment before Zero broke the silence, half of his mouth ticking into a slight smirk as he leaned back against the wall just by the door.

Nines let him settle for a moment, watching the man get comfortable out of the corner of an eye as he downed the last of his thirium. 

Some humans had taken aversion to an android climbing through the ranks of the Syndicate so quickly and a few months ago, Zero had been one of them. 

He had confronted Nines during his promotion ceremony which had been attended by some of the senior leaders and Nines had swiftly put him in his place. Broken an arm and a leg, beat him bloody and could have killed him, had every right to, but ultimately let him live. 

After that, Nines took in Zero as his second and they quickly fell into a partnership, Zero becoming one of his most loyal and trusted men.

Nines carefully set the empty glass back on his desk and it was only when he too relaxed his posture that he finally spoke.

“We’re one hundred percent certain the police are going to be raiding this place in a few days?” His cold gaze never left Zero’s face, his voice was meticulous.

He watched the man falter, blinking slightly before he gave a curt nod of his head. It wasn’t that Nines didn’t trust him, it was just that he had been fed wrong information before. 

The police thought they had the upper hand this time, but that was the thing about the Quantum Syndicate, they had people everywhere. Just like the mafia in Italy or the many crime families dotted around the States, the Syndicate had officers on their payroll and even high ranking officials in their pocket. 

They were in the process of moving their more elicit activities to a warehouse near the docks, all that was needed were a few more days for the larger, more delicate equipment used in the shelling process. 

“We just need to move a few more tech cradles and then everything is accounted for.”

Nines never understood the human need to speak just to fill silences, his eyes narrowing in slight irritation as he finally turned to face Zero, settling for a moment as he studied the man in front of him. “Is the target still downstairs?”

He watched as Zero narrowed his eyes, clearly wanting to say something, but this time, the man bit his tongue. 

The obedience made Nines’ mouth curl into a cold smirk; it crossed his lips for the briefest moment before it disappeared as he leaned forward and rose out of his chair. He moved around to join his second, slipping his hands into his pockets as he moved past the man and out through the door. “It is not that I do not trust you, Zero, I know your word is good. However, you also know I am someone who is meticulous in their needs.”  
  
“You want to make sure.” 

Nines didn’t bother answering and the two of them moved through the still empty nightclub in near silence, walking past the mainstage which was starting to be prepped for the evening ahead. **  
**  
“Everything on schedule?” It was only when they moved through a set of large, black double doors that led to the basement that Nines decided to speak.  
  
The doors were hidden whenever the club was open to the public.

They still had a nightclub to run.

“Of course.” 

“Good.” 

As they made their way down a large staircase and stepped into a large open plan room that ran the expanse of the whole club, there was a noticeable drop in temperature as they were underground. Hidden in the sublevels that the police would soon be searching. Not that they’d find anything of any use to them.

The dim neon-blue that managed to fill the room from the strip lighting that ran parallel to the ceiling got caught in the dark walls and black floor tiles, making the dim light feel hazy almost. It was empty bar for a few cradles that ran along the left wall, those being the last few pieces of equipment that needed to be moved to the warehouse.  
  
Once everything was moved, the space was going to be repurposed, changed into somewhere the club could host strippers, private dances and more elicit activities for some of the richer clients as long as they were willing to pay. 

They made their way towards a door at the far end of the room, Nines’ shoes clicking against the floor as they walked and once they reached the little storage closet, his hand resting on the handle, only then did Nines turn his head to look at Zero. 

It was just the briefest of looks, one to make sure they were both on the same page before Zero finally broke rank and made his way back towards the main floor.

Nines didn’t want to be disturbed, Zero would make sure and it was only when the sound of the man’s footsteps died away that Nines opened the door. 

The room was tiny, just about enough space in it for two people and some shelving and Nines slipped his hands back into his pockets as the door clicked shut behind him. 

There was a cold twinkle in his eye as he looked down at the man in front of him. 

They were tied to a chair, so beaten and bloody that if they were not strapped upright, Nines was certain they would have fallen to the floor. The man was a mole, a Quantum Syndicate member turned rat for the police and it was only when he managed to move his head upwards slightly, did Nines grab the folding chair resting on the wall beside him, open it and sit down opposite him. 

He carefully rested his left leg on his right knee, clasping his hands together in his lap as he studied the man in front of him. Anger curled deep within his circuits at such a blatant lack of loyalty to both him and the Syndicate, it managing to turn that twinkle in his eye into something dark and sadistic.  
  
Betrayal was something he couldn’t stand and it took everything Nines had to temper that rage.  
  
“Tell me about the DPD raid they have planned in a few days.” His voice was so painfully neutral as he spoke, his grey eyes narrowing the longer he waited for an explanation.

His words hung between them for a lifetime before the man finally broke and once he started speaking, he couldn’t stop. As Nines listened, he couldn’t help the sense of smug sense of pride that settled in his metaphorical gut.

The DPD thought they were smart, thought they had the upper hand this time, but the Syndicate was always two steps ahead, Nines even more so and he didn’t fight the small smirk that tugged at a corner of his mouth for just a moment.

They knew the date, right down to the fucking time the raid was going to be executed. 

“Do you know what the DPD will find here?” Nines asked.  
  
Even when his temper was festering below the surface, Nines was always so stoic in his mannerisms and the way he held himself. **  
**  
“Nothing.” Came the man’s weak answer.  
  
The man finally braved looking him in the eye and Nines just smiled.  
  
All the police would find is a nightclub running as it should, within the full confines of the law.

“Precisely... They won’t even find your corpse.” Nines didn’t so much as falter as he pulled out a Colt from his holster, smoothly lined up the shot and pulled the trigger.  
  
The DPD wouldn’t find a fucking thing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You were all wondering what would happen when Gavin and Nines met...

Gavin and Hank were sitting in an unmarked van across the street, DPD bulletproof vests strapped to their chests, watching from screens as the scene started to unfold in front of their eyes.

They had managed to move the raid forward by a day.

After they had sorted through and discussed all the relevant information a few days ago, Gavin had just gotten a gut feeling that if they waited any longer, _something_ would happen. 

Either something would go wrong or they’d turn up to the place and there wouldn’t be anything there, meaning all their hard work would be for fucking nothing.

Gavin had been so fucking sure the last time; they had followed procedure, thought their plan was foolproof and Richard had still gotten captured. No matter how careful they had been in their planning, they hadn’t accounted for just how ruthless the Syndicate were prepared to be.

They just weren't prepared for one of their team to be a mole, a double-agent of sorts, someone they had known for years and thought they could trust. 

Trust was why they were included on their team in the first place. Yet that had been the downfall.

Maybe that was a tad naive. After all, the notion of corruption was something that went hand-in-hand with gangs and the mafia, it was something almost to be expected and even the most tightly run operation was susceptible to infiltration. 

Gavin had always thought trust was hard to come by, both as a cop and in his personal life, he was just that type of guy who usually held everyone at arm's length for that exact reason. People were bound to turn around and stab you in the fucking back. 

He had his circle of friends and he did have Richard, he being the only one that actively had gotten underneath those protective, metaphorical walls, but after what had happened six months ago, they came flying back up. 

It was in part, the reason why he had thrown himself so much into his work and something that his work had taught him over the years was to trust in gut feelings. 

As long as the proper channels were followed, Gavin had learnt that any good officer worth their salt made sure to pursue that niggling feeling in their gut that told them something about a particular case because more often than not, they paid off. 

Gavin had argued that when he went to Fowler. 

Hank had thankfully backed him up, but Gavin was fully prepared to accept the consequences if his hunch turned out to be wrong and things went south. After thirty minutes of convincing by them both, they had managed to sway the captain into pushing forward the raid. 

They had studied the blueprints, ran through their plan of action countless fucking times. They also made sure that Allen and SWAT were brought up to speed; once he was happy with the plans, making sure they minimised the risk for him and his team, all they had to do was decide on a time.

To reduce the risk of casualties and to hopefully seize equipment or make substantial arrests, they scheduled the raid for 11am. 

That was one silver lining to all of this. Since they’d be hitting a nightclub, it was relatively straight forward. During daylight hours, the only people who would be there would be members of the Syndicate, hopefully even Nines himself. 

Gavin and Hank shared a look as they watched Allen and his men ready themselves by various entrances, waiting for them to give the go-ahead. 

In some respects, he supposed the universe was trying to look out for them, because at least a nightclub was one of the more straight forward targets for a SWAT raid. 

Hank had his arms hugged to his chest and all he offered was a simple shrug of his shoulders after the silence started to draw out a little too long for his liking. “You wanted this, so you make the call, Son... Whatever happens, I’ve got your back.” His words were not confrontational, just the truth. 

This case had sort of become Gavin’s Moby Dick; the need to take down the Syndicate while hopefully finding some semblance of justice for Richard being his white whale. Hank may have supported him in the captain’s office a day ago, but it was Gavin who had made that push in the first place, so the lieutenant was right. This was his call to make. 

Gavin rearranged himself in his seat, uncrossing his arms as he leaned forward and picked up a radio sitting next to him on the bank of monitors. He gripped it tight for a moment, faltering just slightly before he bought it up to his mouth and pressed in the talk button.  
  
“You are clear for raid.”

As soon as he said those words, all the screens sprang to life, Allen giving the signal for his SWAT team to move in. Men poured in from the two visible entrances, as well as through the fire escape. All moving in precise, little methodical lines, sweeping room after room and Gavin watched as clear signal after clear signal kept popping up on the monitors in front of him.

 _They weren’t finding anything_.

Gavin pinched his brows together, a brief look of irritated worry crossing his face as he shot a quick look at Hank, the lieutenant’s own annoyed expression doing little to calm the giddy nerves that started to snake their way around his gut.

“I’m receiving the all clear, you two can come in and have a look around.” Allen’s voice crackled over the radio and it managed to twist Gavin’s nerves into a slight nausea. 

He had a lot riding on this. 

Whilst there were no casualties or losses, Gavin still wanted something he could count as tangible success. A seize; equipment, arrests, _something_ that he could point to and say ‘yes, we achieved something today.’ 

Perhaps in that regard, he was old fashioned; someone else might have been satisfied with the simple notion that no one had died, but in this line of work, for Gavin at least, satisfaction always came with a visible payoff. 

He had the patience for a long case, sure, but this one involving the Syndicate had gone on for far too long and had turned up one too many dead ends. Hank felt exactly the same. If Gavin wanted to play pretend at being a cop, he would have taken that desk job that Fowler kept insisting he take after Richard disappeared. 

But, the raid had turned up nothing. Fucking _nothing._ It didn’t even seem as though there were any management or employees present either and Gavin could feel his temper starting to bubble just below the surface.

_Fuck… FUCK!_

He was also angry ar himself for being naive enough to think that maybe, just maybe, the universe would give him a fucking break with regards to _this_ case. However, Hank's hand suddenly on his shoulder made him bite down that mood, the lieutenant giving it a quick squeeze. “Come on, let’s go join Allen outside.”

Gavin turned to face him, any annoyance in the man’s face had disappeared, it leaving behind an almost dejected sort of acceptance. It was something Gavin wished he could learn, how to let go of his anger and not let it flare up and fester. He knew no one at the precinct had the patience for him since Richard’s disappearance. He didn’t give a fuck about whatever people thought of him, never had, but it wasn’t beyond him in recognising a level head was better for a cop than an easily baitable temper. 

He pulled himself up, wincing slightly as his eyes took a moment to adjust to the harsh morning light that quickly flooded into the van as Hank pulled open the sliding door, but he nevertheless shoved his hands into his pockets with a sigh. He grabbed two pairs of evidence gloves along with two radios and joined the Lieutenant outside. 

It was a short walk to the front entrance, the two of them nodding a quick hello to Allen who was stationed by the door before they walked in and it wasn’t an exaggeration to say Gavin’s face dropped.

The Nexus was an exclusive club, right in the heart of the city, meaning you either had to be somebody or have the money to even get your foot across the door, so all Gavin had heard were stories. 

It had that same Cyberpunk, neon-sleek aesthetic that the Eden Club did, except the Nexus was all elegant blacks and strikingly bold reds. 

They were standing in the middle of the main floor, a bar running the entire length of the wall to their left and there was a stage in front of them, LED screens sitting floor to ceiling behind that. 

At the far corner of the space, there was a large spiral staircase that led to the VIP booths that were on the second floor, all of which overlooked the dancefloor. As they moved towards the stage, Gavin’s eyes caught on the large circle that seemed to sit suspended in midair behind the bar, perfectly in the middle. 

There were several more of varying sizes dotted around the club. Neon lights. All currently switched off given the time of day. If Gavin had to bet, he would say they lit up red. The black decor would catch and hold that light flawlessly, creating the perfect dim ambience that could be used to hide a multitude of different sins, so whoever had designed the interior and settled on the colour scheme knew what they were doing. Gavin was just a little bit impressed. 

His eyes wandered to the booths upstairs, his gaze catching on an open door he could just about make out that sat near the staircase and as if on instinct, his hand that was still clutching the radios flew out and bumped into Hank's chest. The lieutenant took one without being prompted, also managing to tease out a pair of gloves from Gavin’s grip as he did so.

“What’s up, Reed? Onto something?”

Gavin was already slowly making his way towards the staircase as he motioned with his own radio up towards the door. “Might be an office.”

_Might be an office._

Gavin knew it was an office, he had studied the layout of this building enough fucking times.

He shot a look back at Hank, as if expecting the older man to make a comment, but all the lieutenant did was offer him a curt nod before he turned on his heel, probably on his way back to talk to Allen.  
  
“Keep in radio contact, let me know if you find anything!” The commanding tone Hank spoke out with as he walked away made Gavin falter for just a second. The man gave him a lot of free reign, but he was still his superior.  
  
“Will do, Anderson.” 

He took the stairs two at a time, casting a quick gaze around the second floor once he was at the top and when it offered him nothing, he turned, eyes catching momentarily on the ‘PRIVATE’ sign on the front of the door before he made his way through.

For a moment, it looked to be a dead end. But as Gavin moved deeper, edging closer to the mirror at the far end, he made out a door to the right.

This one was also already open, meaning that SWAT had swept up here and not found anything of note, but Gavin wanted to make sure. He stuck his radio in one of the back pockets of his jeans and slipped on his gloves before gingerly pushing open the door.

The office was small, but still managed to convey a sense of importance.

A sleek black glass desk sat in front of a window that overlooked the city. It was framed by filing cabinets that ran along the back wall, them giving way to a small liquor cabinet-come-wardrobe that sat to the left. 

Gavin set his jaw the longer he looked around. 

There were no personal effects. No pictures, nothing of any kind that could point to the type of person this infamous Nines was. The only thing that offered some insight was the expensive liquor that was stocked in the cabinet and a potted cactus that sat in one corner of the room just underneath the window. 

He moved around the desk, taking in the expensive whiskies and thirium based alcohols that sat in neat rows and Gavin’s curiosity got the better of him. He stopped, picking up one of the bottles that contained a muted neon blue liquid. 

The liquor seemed to hold a slight bioluminesce, the dim glow shifting as he moved the bottle in his hand; he had heard somewhere that the more thirium based alcohol glowed, the more expensive it was supposed to be. 

So Nines had money, entertaining both human and android alike. That and he didn’t seem to have time for frivolities.

Gavin pulled a face as he carefully set the bottle back down; the more he learned about whoever this Nines was, the more he was able to safely say that he was a fucking prick.

He had run into these types of people countless times before. 

A rich asshole who thought they were above everyone else, a bit of a pretentious cunt with an ego; the stereotypical kind of person you expected to find in any position of power in a gang - they thought they were untouchable and could do whatever the fuck they liked.

In some respects though, that was true. The DPD hadn’t been able to do a fucking thing with regards to the Syndicate and the grip they had on the city.

Gavin slowly made his way around to the window, his eyes lingering for a moment on the various buildings of the Detroit skyline. The Nexus really was prime real estate and, if Gavin were to be completely honest, it was a small miracle that the Syndicate managed to get their hands on it. 

‘A small miracle’ was putting it kindly, Gavin knew various strings were pulled and countless bribes were made. Hell, there were even a few murders surrounding the acquisition of the club. All of which were unsolved and couldn’t be connected back to the Syndicate, because of fucking course they couldn’t. The pricks really knew what they were doing and it angered Gavin to no end.

He turned to face the desk, first trying the drawer that sat underneath the top, but when that was locked, Gavin turned his attention to the monitor that was seamlessly integrated into the piece of furniture.

At the mere presence of his hand, the monitor lit up, the club logo swirling slowly in the background as a password box sat tauntingly on top. 

_Of fucking course._

They would be able to call in a tech team to crack the computer, but Gavin had the naive hope for it to be unlocked, just so he had fucking _something_ from this raid. That was definitely fucking naive on his part and just like everything else, this office was quickly turning out to be another fucking dead end.

Gavin let his hand drop from the monitor, it curling into a fist as he bumped it against the glass, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. He relaxed the line of shoulders, trying to not let his temper creep up on him as his eyes roamed around the office, them coming to a rest on the wardrobe that sat directly to his right. 

He tapped his index finger against the desk for a moment and nibbled at the inside of his lip, debating whether it was worth opening the thing to see if there was anything inside. 

After a minute, Gavin straightened himself up, a frown crossing his features as he bit his bottom lip in between his teeth, striding over to the wardrobe in a few simple steps.  
  
It was all black, sleek and shiny plastic.

He couldn’t leave any stone unturned, he wouldn’t forgive himself if he didn’t. 

There was no handle, so Gavin carefully placed his hand on the left side of the door and pressed, it popping open flawlessly. 

The sight that greeted him made Gavin steel himself. It was just a fucking normal wardrobe.

His eyes scanned the rack of clothes and he was just about to close it when they settled on an overly familiar, neon white blazer that made his heart shoot up into his throat.

A blazer he was pretty sure he could fucking draw in his sleep. 

_No. No, no, no, no-_

Time seemed to slow down and speed up all at once as he pulled out the jacket and held it out in front of him, the ‘RK900’ that was emblazoned on the front almost seemed to mock him as a ringing started to build in his ears.

Gavin’s mind so desperately wanted to drag him back to that fucking day.

To rushed goodbyes and thirium tears, the ringing in his ears fucking building as those images flashed through his mind.

His grip on Richard’s jacket faltered, it falling to the floor as he turned, fumbling at the radio in the back pocket of his jeans. Gavin’s chest heaved as he held up to his mouth, it shaking in his grip as his hand trembled slightly, his mind racing a mile a minute as he just stood there, eyes roaming around Nines’ office.

The longer he stood there, the more his thoughts started to wander, his mind wildly putting two and two together.  
  
The sparse decor, Gavin couldn’t help but think back to Richard’s workstation at the DPD.

He had always just assumed that Richard had gotten killed and stripped for parts after he was reset, but now he wasn’t so fucking sure. 

No one on the DPD knew what Nines looked like.

_Fuck! FUCK! Could… Could Nines be-_

Nausea curled tight around Gavin’s stomach as he tried to push that thought from his mind, but now that he had entertained the idea, it wouldn’t fucking leave him alone. 

Everything so effortlessly clicked into place, all of the tiny coincidences adding up and perfectly slotting together like a fucked up little jigsaw puzzle. 

Gavin’s grip tightened on the radio as he moved towards the door, his pace starting to quicken until he was practically running down the stairs, taking two at a time and before he knew it, he saw Hank bounding into view.

The lieutenant was scouring the main room with a small team, the group carefully sifting through the bar, trying to find anything of interest. Hank was watching them from the middle of the dancefloor, his arms crossed against his chest as he appeared deep in thought.

To say he was surprised as the young detective skidded to a halt beside him was an understatement, irritation flashing across his features for just a moment before they quickly morphed into a restrained worry. “You okay? You look like you’ve seen a fuckin’ ghost.”

Hank’s words had been whispered, but still managed to hang between them as Gavin took a moment to catch his breath.

_Nines is fucking Richard! Nines is... Nines, I think-_

Gavin was about to open his mouth to try and answer, try and make some sense of the insane theory that had taken root in his mind and wouldn’t fucking let go, but as he did, Gavin caught sight of a double door he was pretty sure wasn’t on the building blueprints.

His haunted expression changed into confusion, a frown pulling his brow down into an almost scowl. “Have SWAT covered that?” Gavin fought hard to keep his voice neutral as he indicated to the door that was just behind them. 

It was an easy miss. 

It practically blended into the wall, but now they were _really_ looking, it was fucking obvious.  
  
“I don’t think so.” 

Hank’s words caused them to look back at each other for a moment, Gavin’s expression hardening as he shoved the radio back down into one of his pockets and made his way over to the door.

That could mean no end of things. From incompetence to a rush job, but the most likely when concerning raids like this was that it was purposely overlooked, either through direct orders or by whoever was sweeping that particular sector. 

Gavin knew Allen. He ran a tight ship, but was a decent guy and had vouched for most of his team personally; if the man found out one of his team was dirty, he’d be fucking devistated. Gavin was almost one hundred percent certain that Allen himself wasn’t dirty, but this was another fucking complication in a neverending list concerning this case.

The universe really didn’t want to give them a break, so what was potential SWAT corruption on top of everything else?

Hank joined him by the doors, the two of them nodding their heads at each other in understanding, before Gavin readied his gun in one hand and reached out with the other, pushing at the door which just swung open silently. 

Since Gavin had the gun, he went first, slowly making his way towards the end of the corridor as the lieutenant followed closely behind.  
  
They silently moved down the staircase, neither of them saying anything when they noticed the air temperature drop the closer they got to the bottom. 

They were moving underground. If anyone was down here, it would explain why they wouldn’t know about what was happening above. The noise from the Nexus couldn’t be heard at all.

A door at the bottom of the stairwell caught their attention and as Gavin readied himself to enter, distant voices filtered through and Hank reached out with an arm, stopping the detective in his tracks. 

They listened to the commotion for a few seconds, but as it became clear that it was too quiet to properly make anything out, Hank rested his hand on Gavin’s shoulder, grabbing the man’s attention as he hunkered down behind him and nodded his head.

Gavin nodded his head once in return before he focused his attention back forward, readying himself before he brought up his leg and swiftly kicked open the door, moving quickly into the space beyond.  
  
“Detroit Police! Fucking freeze!”

It took a moment for Gavin’s brain to process what he was seeing; that strange silence and moment’s peace settling over everything before time caught up to what was happening.

A group of people were busy moving tech cradles into a large truck at the far end of a large room, the back wall of the expansive space was opened up onto what seemed to be an underground tunnel of some kind, probably a long forgotten branch of the underground railway that ran through the city. 

No fucking wonder they couldn’t fucking pin anything on the Nexus when they had all of their elicit business being processed through an off-the-grid underground tunnel system.

When Gavin’s gaze properly focused on the man who was aiming the gun squarely between his eyes, his stomach dropped through to the floor.  
  
He recognised that face. Those unmistakable steel-grey eyes that were narrowed into an unfeeling glare. His hair coiffed into that fucking style that he loved and that flawless LED an angry red that probably matched the shade of lighting in the club above, spinning at the side of his temple making fear grip at every fiber of his being, but Gavin still couldn’t stop himself from calling out his name.

_“RICHARD?!”_

He saw the android tick his head slightly to the side, as if that name meant nothing to him and before Gavin knew what was happening, Richard, his long lost partner, the man he loved and had thought he could have perhaps spent the rest of his life with, just cocked the gun in his hand and opened fire.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter features more artwork by my lovely RBB partner Souleixx, please show them some more love!

As an android, Nines didn’t think he was susceptible to the human notion of time seeming to slow down. ‘The Matrix Effect’ he knew some people called it, colloquially naming it after a science-fiction movie that came out in the late 90s, one that had defined pop-culture for a whole generation.

But that was before he heard a name he didn’t recognise, shouted from a man he didn’t know. 

Seconds drew out into minutes. 

It was long enough for the stranger with forest green eyes and a scar across his nose to literally become burned into his memory banks. As an android, that’s all it took. 

He didn’t hesitate to open fire and they had made their escape, but the damage had been done. Every time he closed his eyes, the fucking stranger was there, haunting him.

A human. A policeman. _A fucking cop._

Shouting some meaningless name at him like he knew who he was. 

_'RICHARD?!'_

Nines gripped tight at his glass of thirium whiskey. The raid had been two days ago and all of the physical injuries had long since healed, but that couldn’t account for just how single-minded Nines got when things went south.

As soon as they had pulled into the new location down by the docks, Nines killed the driver. Put his gun clean to the man’s temple and pulled the trigger. Not because he had done anything wrong, but simply because he was the nearest outlet for his anger. He then shot the person who protested, killed them too and left their bodies where they fell like a warning.

No one said a word after that, his more trusted men knew better than to try and reason with the devil when he was on the warpath.

Despite his brief time in the Syndicate, he had still managed to garner himself a reputation. He ran a tight ship, almost ruled with an iron fist. When he reaped successes though, he shared those amongst his men.

For Nines, things never went wrong. Things were not _supposed_ to go wrong.

The only reason he had let Zero live was because it was too much of a waste to let someone of his skills die.

They had since built a mutual respect for one another, but Nines usually approached things with a degree of logic that made him cold and methodical. He was deviant, but had been on more than one occasion, been called a cold-blooded machine.

It’s not that he didn’t outrightly care for people, humans were just too emotional and he didn’t stand for failure. 

_Things were not supposed to go fucking wrong._

Nines could feel little hairline cracks start to splinter the glass from where his grip had tightened a little too much and he set the tumbler down on the table he was sitting beside. 

His team were running final checks on the cradles they had integrated into the systems that were already here.

The Syndicate had acquisitioned an old warehouse by the docks; it had been easy enough to acquire and allowed them to expand their shelling enterprise ten fold. Nines had been arguing for a larger base of operations ever since being appointed as Donovan’s second.

The man had tried his best to accommodate his requests, but to raise as little suspicion as possible, it took time. 

Moving the equipment from the Nexus to the new warehouse also took time, but Nines still couldn’t help but feel as if this all could have been avoided. 

He was _Nines_ , he wasn’t supposed to fail. 

His hand curled into a fist on the table.

Nines couldn’t get those green eyes and that rough face out of his fucking head. He had been untouchable all this time and the closest he had come to tasting some humility came in the form of a man who appeared like he hadn’t slept in months. 

From someone who wasn’t even on the same comparable level he was. 

And this stranger was a part of the _police force._

The Quantum Syndicate were supposed to have reach everywhere, so Nines didn’t even know how the DPD managed to stumble on them a few days ago. 

A fucking stranger working for DPD who had called out a name like he knew him. 

Nines had never wanted to know about his life before he had been reset, but now he couldn’t help but find himself slightly curious about it all. Perhaps that’s what had him so angry, keeping it all just below the surface where it just grew; the man with the green eyes now had him wanting to know and it made him downright furious.

He closed his eyes, his mind replaying those few seconds over and fucking over flawlessly; that rough voice touching his rage, spurring him to grab hold of the glass as he opened his eyes. A perfect holographic preconstruction of the stranger was standing right next to the door and Nines didn’t hesitate to throw the glass clean at it.  
  
It crashed through the stranger’s nose, directly through that fucking scar, the hologram glitching and distorting before it disintegrated, the glass shattering into a thousand pieces against the wall behind. Nines glared as the whiskey just dripped slowly down onto the floor, the little neon puddle mocking him. 

It took a lot for him to get this angry.

He liked things in their place. He liked order. He liked to know exactly what was going to happen and _how_ it was going to happen. 

_He liked control_.

The man with the scar across his nose that wouldn’t fucking leave him alone was the direct opposite of that. 

Nines had been so sure of who he was, but then this stranger came barrelling into his life and through five little seconds had turned it upside down.

He couldn’t fucking stand it.

That was why that little puddle of thirium whiskey ridiculed him so much; it was a reminder of the humanity he was so sure he was above just as much as it was a reminder of someone who shouldn’t even be a problem. 

It was humility and Nines hated it. 

A knock at the door managed to cut through his brooding, curbing his temper before it managed to snake in its claws again because it would only cause more of his men to turn up dead. 

Donovan gave him a lot of freedoms, but his patience only extended so far, he expected people to know their place, Nines included. 

“Enter.” He couldn’t help the hard edge to his voice as he spoke. 

Always so careful to keep his emotions in check, but they had to rear their head somehow; an edge to his voice when he spoke or a look that glinted in his silver-grey eyes and if that wasn’t enough, they bubbled over into acts of violence. 

He had outbursts before.

“Got that information you wanted.” 

Nines’ eyes focused on the data pad that was being held out to him, them narrowing as they flickered up the person that was holding it.  
  
One of the low-level footsoldiers he hadn’t bothered learning the name of. 

His blonde hair slicked back, the scar on his top lip pink and fresh, his mouth pulled into a taut little line as fear twinkled in his blue eyes the longer Nines let the silence draw out. 

Nines knew he asked them here, well more specifically, asked after the information they were holding, but he still couldn’t help but feel irritation twist deep in his circuits as he saw an uneasiness settle over the young man.

He carefully took the pad and settled back in his chair, resting an elbow on one of the armrests as he propped his chin in hand, fingers splayed up the side of his face. 

“Good, now fuck off.” Nines didn’t even bother looking at the guy, his attention already on the pad in his hand because, as far as he was concerned, nothing else mattered.

When he heard the shuffle of feet and the distinctive click as the door closed behind them, Nines finally unlocked the pad and started reading. 

No one thought twice when he had practically shouted at his men two days ago that he wanted anything and everything there was to know on the cop who had raided The Nexus. 

Everyone chalked it down to Nines wanting to get revenge, for both himself and for the gang. To kill the fuck for daring to be so big as to think they could take on the Synidcate and win. In some ways, they were right, but that was before that stranger fucking haunted him every time he closed his eyes.  
  
Before he had an unknown name shouted at him.  
  
An unknown name that the stranger seemed so sure he should know.  
  
Like it was _his_ name.

Nines studied the information that scrolled steadily by, the man quickly becoming a stranger no longer. Within seconds, he knew his name, birthday and even where he lived.

The syndicate really had people everywhere; nothing was off limits. His team had put out a request for information only a day ago and the rest was history.  
  
 **_Gavin Reed_ ** **_  
_** **_Gender: Male_ ** **_  
_** **_Sexuality: Undisclosed._ ** **_  
_** **_DOB: 10-07-02_ ** **_  
_** **_501 Macomb St, Bricktown_ ** **_  
_** **_  
_** **_Detective, stationed at DPD Central Station_ **

So his stranger’s name was Gavin Reed.  
  
His shift was five days on and two days off, just like a regular 9-5 office job, but his hours were much longer and his ‘weekends’ varied from week to week.

Nines’ attention dwindled as information about the man’s friends and work colleagues scrolled by on screen. 

Gavin had an apartment right here in the city. 

Bricktown wasn’t that far outside of downtown Detroit. Hell, it wasn’t too far from where they were at the docks.  
  
 _You could go to Gavin’s apartment right fucking now._ _  
_  
He could wait for him there until his shift was over. Gavin was due to finish at 8pm that evening.  
  
 _All you have to do is take your gun, hide in the shadows and-_

Nines’ focus snapped back to the present as his eyes caught on a word. ‘Richard’, nestled in the middle of a paragraph about Gavin’s former partner. 

**_Reed has thrown himself into his work after the disappearance of his former partner and boyfriend six months ago, an android who was simply known as ‘Richard.’_ ** **_  
_** **_Man refuses to acknowledge the past; high irritability and quick to anger. Likely has PTSD over the event, but refuses to seek any professional help. Most of the force refuse to work with him-_ **

_‘After the disappearance of his partner six months ago, an android was simply known as ‘Richard.’_

Nines had never wanted to know about his old life, but as he read and reread that sentence over and fucking over, he couldn’t help the irritation that shot up within him.

He had been working for Syndicate for exactly six months. 

Donovan had always said that he had ‘saved’ him from a life that was beneath him and in some ways, that was true. 

Nines deserved a life that suited his ruthless nature, his killer instinct, but Donovan never had to tell him about his past because Nines never asked. Now his past was potentially staring him in the face and Nines couldn’t help but feel that it was all a little too convenient.

_Gavin had called him Richard._

His grip tightened further, his LED swirling a frantic yellow as he telepathically linked with pad, clicking on the link that was embedded on the name with his mind. He wasn’t sure what exactly was going to greet him, whatever the page contained taking a few seconds to load, but when he saw those steel grey eyes he so desperately didn’t want to see looking back at him, something snapped. 

Nines was looking at a picture of himself. 

It was a close up of his face, but he could still make out that he was wearing the same neon white CyberLife jacket that was hanging in his closet back at The Nexus. 

He had given express orders for no one to look at the information in this file, so on that front, Nines was safe.  
  
But Nines couldn’t help the sheer rage that flashed through his circuits as he looked at himself, the android leaning forward in his chair as his emotions got the better of him.  
  
Not at himself, that wasn’t him, not anymore.  
  
 _At Richard._

He looked happy, like he didn’t need saving. 

Nines grit his teeth, his eyes darting over and fucking over Richard in front of him. His hands shook as his temper built before he finally threw the datapad clean at the wall, right at the whiskey stain, it breaking into pieces, just like the glass had.

‘Saved him’, when it seemed anything but. 

Nines really couldn’t remember a fucking thing about his former life. He didn’t mourn who he had been and what he had lost because he couldn’t remember anything to make him care.

It was that Donovan appeared to have lied, that’s what twisted his anger into downright fury.

Nines always operated with a degree of honesty, expecting the truth from his men and his team time and time again. So the fact that he hadn’t been extended the same courtesy by the one man he respected the most was a notion he simply refused to believe. 

He slammed his hands down on the desk he was sitting behind with enough force that it caused the metal surface to shake, his hands quickly curling into fists as his anger wouldn’t leave him. 

Nines hit them against the desk, over and over until there were two large dents in the metal, his temper bordering on irrational as it acted as an instant reminder of his emotions. There was a wild glint in his eye as he shot up out of his chair, pushing it away from him as he practically threw the desk at the wall.

The crash of the metal colliding against brick seemed to finally snap him out of his temper, his fists curling and uncurling at his sides as he looked at the crumpled desk that was now resting by the door.  
  
Nines turned to face the window, looking out at the rows of machinery and cradles that had been set up. Luckily it was one-way glass, meaning that nobody would have been able to see his little tantrum. 

Nobody could see his _emotions._

He needed answers to the questions that were now swirling in his head, but Donovan was out of town on business and Nines’ gaze darkened as it dawned on him there was one person he’d be able to speak to. 

He needed fucking answers  
  
 _Gavin Reed._

Nines had been planning to kill him, but plans change.  
  
Gavin fucking Reed would have to do.

That was the thing with trauma.  
  
After time, it almost became comfortable.  
  
Gavin had gotten used to his morning routine. He had gotten used waking up to an empty bed and he had gotten used to his ten yard stares sometimes as he ate breakfast. 

He had gotten used to being alone again and he had gotten used to holding his friends at arm's length; his temper was something that had been so easy to slip back into once Richard had disappeared.

It wasn’t that he had been waiting for an excuse, but Gavin was the type of person that needed some guidance in his life, otherwise it was just so easy for him to fall back into old habits.

It was so much easier to be brash and to tell people to fuck off than to bite down his anger and pretend to be nice to such benign problems. He didn’t fucking care that Karen was unable to work the photocopier for whatever fucking reason in the stationary room. He really fucking didn’t.

Things became comfortable and it was easy for Gavin to pretend that he didn’t have a problem. That his rage wasn’t just a crutch he used to avoid having to deal with accepting what had happened all those months ago; that if he went to therapy to work through his problems, then that would in turn just confirm that Richard was dead.

Gavin didn’t want Richard to be dead. 

All that hostility and then two days ago, he had seen Richard on that raid.  
  
Two days ago and his whole world came crashing down.

Now that Richard was still alive, where did that leave Gavin with all of his anger? With all of his unresolved trauma? 

Gavin let out a hard sigh as he ran a hand down his face and looked at the blank document in front of him.  
  
He had thirty minutes left of his shift, all he had to do was type up his reports and he could go home, but he had been sitting at his workstation for past twenty minutes not doing a fucking thing.

Seeing Richard two days ago really had turned his life upside down. His mind had been racing non-fucking-stop. 

There were no end of questions and complications, but the real stinger, the thing that got under his skin and burrowed into his very being, the thing Gavin hadn’t been able to stop thinking about; was that when he had seen him in the basement of The Nexus, Richard didn’t even seem to recognise him. 

It had been clear the name ‘Richard’ meant nothing to his former partner, Nines seemed to be his moniker now.

After the raid, Gavin and Hank of course touched base with Fowler. 

They had been in his office for hours once they had returned to the station, Connor included, all of them debating and fucking debating on what finding Richard with the Syndicate meant. 

It seemed that he didn’t remember his name or his former life. Hell, since it seemed he didn’t remember Gavin of all people, it was agreed that Richard was now, unfortunately, a completely new person.

Richard _was_ Nines.

In the eyes of the law, Gavin’s former partner was now a criminal. 

In the eyes of the law, Gavin’s former boyfriend didn’t exist.  
  
In the eyes of the law, the person who Gavin thought he could spend the rest of his life with was now a gangster who ran with one of the most notorious gangs in the whole of Detroit. 

Nines had murdered, he had extorted money. He had kidnapped and he had bribed numerous officials. Anything that had a criminal undertone to it, he had more than likely done. 

It wasn’t a question of what would happen to Nines if he were ever caught, it was a question of how much jail time he’d face if he ever were. 

The only thing that was a sticking point was the fact that CyberLife still had Richard’s memories backed up in their servers.  
  
If they caught Nines, could they force him to go through a procedure to wipe his memories, delete him from the RK900 unit and upload Richard in his place?  
  
That was technically murder and the United States had banned the death penalty state-wide in 2029. 

That was also overlooking the android-specific law that Markus and Jericho had fought so hard to instate; unless specifically stated by an android pre-death, if they had memories or previous versions of themselves backed up in any form, the android in question stayed dead. 

After the revolution, Markus and Jericho had moved into politics, they had pushed for equality between androids and humans, so naturally that meant being equal in every aspect of life. 

At the moment, only androids who had the money or were connected to CyberLife in some way had the means to back up memories, but it was only a matter of time before the notion filtered it’s way down society and the option was offered to all androids in some way. 

Gavin had been dead set against uploading Richard’s memories into another body, whether another RK900 unit or otherwise, but now that he actually knew his former partner was out there in some form? He could actually get behind the concept of uploading Richard’s memories. 

It _would_ be Richard; _his_ body, _his_ memories, _his_ personality, not some fucking clone. Not some fucking CyberLife knock-off copy that Gavin could never really be sure was the same person he’d fallen in love with. 

He’d come leaps and bounds with regards to his prejudices towards androids, but there were still some notions he had a hard time wrapping his head around. 

Some? Just one.  
  
The concept of death.

Sure, Gavin could have gotten over himself, uploaded Richard’s memories into a new body and be done with it, but he had been steadfast in his very human belief that dead people stayed dead. Richard had always respected that belief, but now Richard was the very one that was causing that belief to come crashing down. 

Gavin had been so sure of himself until the ghost of his boyfriend had come back to haunt him. 

Now he was contemplating asking Fowler to argue an exemption if they ever caught Nines. He was contemplating breaking the law, all because he had the chance to get the love of his life back in all his entirety.

Now everything was an even bigger fucking mess and Gavin hated it.

He had handled a few cases of android homicide where their human partner had begged the DPD to let them access the memories of their deceased loved one and upload them into a new body, but since there wasn’t explicit written consent that the android in question wanted that, they couldn’t.  
  
Gavin never thought he’d be in that situation, but here he was. 

Sympathising, contemplating, understanding. 

Now he knew what it felt like. 

The document on his computer was still blank, mocking him as he sat there unable to focus, unable to fucking force himself to care enough. Fowler had offered him a few extra days off this week, but Gavin had declined as he thought he’d be able to deal with it. 

Obviously that wasn’t the case.  
  
He’d been fine when he was out on the field, he’d been fine when he’d been with Hank and Connor, when he was surrounded by other people. But now he was alone? It was a different story.

Fowler had put him on some of the more tame cases for just a few days; some burglary cases and whatever came through the bullpen from the beat cops. They were definitely below a detective, but the Captain had argued that if he was going to be a stubborn asshole and refuse to take some days to work through his shit, then this is what he was going to have to deal with until Fowler knew he was going to be okay. 

All Gavin had to do was focus and type up a two page report of the burglary case he’d managed to resolve. _Two pages._ But he couldn’t.

He shifted in his seat, pulling out his phone and looked at the time. 

**_07.55 P.M._ **

He had five minutes to go until the end of his shift.

Five minutes to go until he could just leave and brood back at his apartment instead. Gavin should have taken Fowler’s offer, but he just too fucking stubborn. 

He slipped his phone back into his pocket and leaned forward, flexing his fingers as his hands hovered over the holographic keyboard for just a moment before they started flying across the keys, Gavin frantically typing something into the report.  
  
 **_WOMAN HAD JEWELRY STOLEN, BLAH BLAH. TOOK DETAILS, SHE THOUGHT IT WAS HER NEIGHBOR. QUESTIONED NEIGHBOR_** **.** **_NOTHING THERE. LADY IS JUST A RACIST. WOMAN AND JEWELRY UNLIKELY TO BE REUNITED. BLAH BLAH. DON’T CARE-_ ** **_  
_** **_  
_** **_FUCK THIS._ **

Gavin smirked to himself.

It was childish, but as long as he didn’t submit the report and just saved it, it was fine. Besides, he was tired and he fucking needed a bit of childish right now, he’d just type up the official report first thing tomorrow.

He clicked on the little save icon and powered down his workstation, pulling himself up from his chair with a yawn. He stretched his arms above his head, eyes roaming the near empty bullpen and apart from the skeleton crew that operated for the night shift; it was him, Hank at his desk and Fowler who was still in his office.

Gavin rolled his shoulders as he shoved his hands into his pockets, his gaze catching on Hank across the room and he shouted, ‘I’ll see you tomorrow, old man!’ in lieu of a goodbye. 

The Lieutenant just shot him a curt salute in return, seeing as he was still deep in the middle of work and a small smile crossed Gavin’s lips as he turned and slowly made his way towards the parking garage.

For some reason, he found the action strangely comforting.  
  
As much as an asshole he’d reverted back into, there were still people who were willing to put up with his shit. 

It bolstered his mood as he drove back to his apartment, his ten minute drive back in traffic not being as much as a chore as it usually was. 

In the elevator ride up to his floor, Gavin thought about how he’d unwind, relax and reset. Tomorrow was a new day and he’d spend the evening getting the fuck over himself. 

But as he entered his apartment, letting the door lock behind him as he moved towards the kitchen, Gavin heard the distinctive click of a pistol being cocked and that sound was enough to have his slightly good mood to come crashing instantly down around him.

And if that wasn’t enough, when he heard that voice, that fucking distinctive baritone Gavin wouldn’t be able to forget even if tried, his world stood still.

“Hands up where I can fucking see them and turn the fuck around. _Slowly_.”

Gavin fucking knew who he’d see staring back at him, but it still didn’t prepare him to see those familiar steel-grey eyes narrowed in anger as he turned around. Those stoic features he had loved like nothing else pulled into a hard and unfeeling glare.

Ri- 

_No._ _It was Nines._

And all Gavin could do was close his eyes as Nines kept his gun trained on him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally getting to the good stuff! Nines and Gavin are back together!
> 
> There's briefly mentioned sex in this chapter, but nothing too explicit.  
> Hope you enjoy!

Gavin had often dreamed of what would happen if he ever saw Richard again, of what he would say or what he would do. Until he could see his body, had tangible fucking proof in front of his very eyes, Gavin simply refused to believe that his boyfriend was dead. 

He knew that notion had caused him to alienate a lot of people he worked with. He knew Tina and Hank kept exchanging worried conversations, both of them secretly hoping he’d snap out of this rut he’d managed to fall into sometime soon, that he’d accept the reality of the situation and give himself time to mourn. 

But Gavin couldn’t. 

He just _refused_.

Finding no body always managed to give a slim sense of hope, but with Gavin, that hope got wrapped up in his anger, the two of them becoming a twisted inseparable mess of denial instead. But, in his dreams, there was always hope. 

Gavin had often imagined that they’d be able to pick things up relatively quickly. 

That their reunion would be like those seen in the movies, all heartfelt and tearful and that it would end with them making love; their bodies pressed up against one another for hours on end before they ended up tangled up in bed. 

All of the ‘I love yous’ and the ‘I missed yous’, all of the things Gavin had kept dreaming about.  
  
But all of that was just some romantic fairytale.

As Gavin stood there, in the doorway of his kitchen, staring down the barrel of a gun, reality sunk in and all of the things he wished he could say instead became some sort of cruel joke.

Mocking him because Richard was here, but not as the man he’d fallen in love with. 

Tears welled in Gavin’s eyes as that sick realisation truly sank in, there was no point in even saying his boyfriend’s name because he knew the person opposite him wouldn’t fucking recognise it. That fact compounded the thoughts that were swirling around his head, them building and managing to make time honey, the seconds drawing out before they suddenly snapped back. 

All of that hope, all of those cruel dreams that taunted him; they all died and melted away, until all he was left with was the bitter and selfish realisation that perhaps Richard really would have been better off dead. 

Not for Richard, but for himself. 

Gavin willed for his tears not to fall, willed for his emotions to not get the better of him, drawing in a deep breath through his nose and held it for just a moment before he let it back out again, trying to calm himself so his voice wouldn’t shake when he spoke. 

He held Nines’ piercing gaze, faltering as he tried to square himself up to his greater height and build. He had always tried countless times, but it never worked.  
  
“Are you going to kill me?” Gavin was secretly thankful that his voice came out relatively neutral. 

Nines studied him, letting his question hang in the air between them before he finally lowered his gun and cocked the safety.  
  
“No. Not yet.”

 _Not yet? Shit_.

Gavin frowned in lieu of a reply and he saw Nines’ gaze harden in response, a look of irritation flashing through those grey eyes for just a moment before it disappeared.

“You can put your fucking arms down, Detective, you look ridiculous.”

Gavin just scowled. 

A part of him wanted to bite back, his temper flaring at Nines’ voiced displeasure. The fucker breaks into _his_ apartment, holds _him_ at gunpoint and then has the audacity to be annoyed? Gavin wanted nothing more than to flip him the finger and tell him to fuck off. But it wasn’t worth the very likely bullet in his skull he’d get in return. 

Instead, he just slowly lowered his arms in silence, a pout on his face as he held Nines’ glare with his own and it was only when his arms were back by his sides that Nines moved.

The android carefully tucked his Colt into the back of his black dress pants, Nines narrowing his eyes before he turned on his heel and made his way towards the living room. 

_There was only one other person who’d been able to instantly put you in your place, Gavin… it was Richard and now Nines here can do it t-_

“I’ve got questions and you’re going to answer them.”

Nines’ voice broke through his thoughts, snapping Gavin to his senses before he could thankfully finish his train of thought. Gavin prayed he wasn’t blushing. 

He slowly followed the gangster into his living room, the android standing by the coffee table, silently taking in the small little space. 

Gavin watched as Nines’ gaze roamed over the faded brown leather couch and the exposed brickwork wall that the modest-sized TV hung off. Watching as he took in the photographs that littered the shelving unit that sat underneath and saw that Nines focused on a particular one that had been taken of Richard and himself at Detroit Pride last year. 

Nines turned to face him rather abruptly, eyes narrowed into a cold glare as if damning him for still having pictures up of them both. Like Nines didn’t like such a stark reminder of what had been lost staring him in the face, even if he couldn’t remember. 

Gavin was just about to open his mouth and argue, but Nines moved past him and sat down neatly on a corner of the couch.  
  
“Don’t argue with me, Detective, I don’t have the time. Sit down.” There was an edge to Nines’ voice Gavin couldn’t quite place. 

‘ _I don’t have the time.’_

It was like Nines was speaking to him like you would an unruly child, like he was some teenager who couldn’t keep a handle on his temper. In some ways, Gavin was and he hated being such an easy read, but it wasn’t like he had forced Nines to break into his apartment so they could have a fucking chat.

Once again, Gavin found himself biting down his temper as he sat down opposite Nines.  
  
Sitting there, they were drastic opposites.

Nines was so stiff and proper, so controlled, whereas Gavin almost seemed to match his couch. Relaxed, almost slouching into his corner, legs spread so he was comfortable. 

A silence quickly settled between the two of them. 

It strangely suited the situation. Gavin’s apartment was still dark, the only light coming from the windows because he hadn’t even bothered drawing the blinds before he sat down. The neon blues and purples from the city washed them both in a muted, eerie hue and Gavin couldn’t help but think they must look like they were in a fucking movie. 

He guessed that was fitting. It wasn’t every day that Gavin had a gangster in his apartment, sitting opposite him and demanding answers. Especially not one that used to be his boyfriend. It really was like something out of a fucking movie.

“Tell me about what happened six months ago.” Nines’ voice had lost it’s hard edge, like the silence had given him time to think and almost soften himself to whatever he was going to learn.

The android ticked his head to the side, looking Gavin square in the face, his grey eyes holding his and Gavin couldn’t help but soften himself in turn.

A frown flitted across his features as he rearranged himself, facing his head forward as a hand came up to rub at his chin as he tried to order his thoughts as best he could before he spoke.

Nines was demanding answers, had come knocking on his door for them and all Gavin could do was hope he didn’t break down as he explained. After a few moments, he lowered his hand, resting it on the couch, his index finger tapping idly against the leather. It was only a small action, but it was a betrayal of the nerves that had managed to make themselves home in the pit of his stomach. 

Gavin sighed, finally turning his head back and looking Nines’ once more in the eye and the gangster still hadn’t moved.

“There was a raid, one me and you, _Richard_ , had been planning for months,” Gavin started slowly, choosing his words carefully, deliberately choosing to call Nines ‘Richard’ because the man opposite him _had_ to understand. “What we didn’t realise was that the whole thing was a trap... The Syndicate? They wanted Richard and we played straight into their hands.”

Nines was silent as Gavin spoke, letting him take the time he needed to explain what happened.  
  
“I had to watch as you were reset in front my very eyes, had all your memories wiped and I couldn’t do a fucking thing about it. For _months_ I thought Richard was dead-”  
  
“Richard _is_ dead. I’m not him, Detective.”

Tears started to prick at the corners of Gavin’s eyes at Nines’ interruption and he masked his feelings with a quiet laugh. He bowed his head, averting his gaze as he picked at a frayed bit of leather on the couch for a second to let his emotions settle.

“For months I thought Richard was dead and then two days ago... I saw _you_ , in that basement, walking around and wearing his face.” Gavin finished what he was going to say before Nines had spoken, not to spite him because he _knew_ that Nines was right. 

Richard _was_ technically dead, but Nines had to try and understand what the past six months had been like.

He saw the android narrow his eyes as his words lingered between them, but Gavin didn’t back down. Nines had a reputation. He was ruthless. He killed people, but as the gangster sat there in his apartment, Gavin wasn’t scared. 

He just felt tired.

“If you want to shoot me, go ahead, but I don’t fucking regret what I just said, _Nines_ ,” There was a hard edge Gavin’s voice as he spoke, pausing as he pulled himself up from his sofa with a hard sigh. He was stopped in his tracks as a hand flew out and gripped him hard on his sleeve, Gavin looked at it first before he turned his head and looked Nines in the eye, “You can let go, all I’m gonna do is get a fucking drink.” 

If he didn’t know better, Gavin swore he saw an almost pleading look flicker quickly through those artificial eyes, managing to momentarily melt those usually icy greys into something infinitely more hospitable. 

As Nines’ hand loosened, Gavin snatched his arm from his grip, a pang of guilt twisting in his stomach for a moment as he made his way towards the kitchen.

As he rummaged in the cupboards, trying to decide if he wanted something alcoholic or not, Gavin’s eyes caught on a bottle of thirium whiskey. 

It had been shoved way into the back of the cupboard that was closest to the fridge. It was cheap and old, the label was curling and it hadn’t been touched since the last time Richard wanted to join in with drinking when they had last entertained their friends from work.  
  
It seemed like a fucking lifetime ago, but seeing it still caused Gavin to stop, that guilt in his stomach causing him to nibble at the inside of his cheek as he tapped his finger against the cupboard door.  
  
“Can- Can I get you anything?” Gavin eventually asked, wincing to himself as his voice wavered.

“I doubt you’ve got anything… _expensive_ enough.” Nines instantly bit back.  
  
 _Fucking prick_.  
  
Gavin shook his head, his displeasure curling his mouth into a smirk as he flung the cupboard door closed with a little more force than necessary. A few minutes later, he returned to the living room, a cup of coffee in hand. He sat back down on the couch, shooting Nines a curt smile before he took a sip from the mug, raising his eyebrows as he rested his drink on his knee. 

“You said you had questions, Nines. _Ask them_.” Gavin even surprised himself with how steadfast he sounded. 

Ever since he saw Nines two days ago, he had expected a reunion to go a thousand different ways if it ever happened at all, but he hadn’t expected to find Nines in his very apartment. 

There was only so much self righteous prickholeness Gavin could take when facing the end of a very long week. If he had the stomach for introspective bullshit, he’d say it was like looking in a mirror and that getting a taste of his own medicine was always a bitter pill to swallow, but Nines’ attitude just plain irritated him.

If Nines was coming here to play games, _he_ was the one who quite frankly didn’t have the fucking time.

Gavin saw the gangster falter, almost like Nines wasn’t expecting resistance to come from a cop who looked like he needed a week’s worth of sleep.  
  
“Used to people just… rolling over and kissing your ass, huh?” He couldn’t help but pose. The lingering annoyance lending Gavin’s question a hard edge.  
  
If Nines knew where he lived, Gavin was pretty sure that Nines must also be aware of some of the basic facts about him. He knew Nines was a smart fucking guy and looked like he did his homework, so he wasn’t so sure why the android was surprised.

“You would be wise to watch your tone, Detective.” Nines said those words so nonchalantly, but the look the gangster shot his way afterwards had Gavin instantly biting down his confidence.

The android looked around his apartment for a moment, letting the silence that settled between them do the talking for him. It was only after he had let it draw on long enough that he turned his face back towards Gavin, his gaze unwavering.

“Explain to me, Gavin Reed, in excruciating fucking detail this time, _exactly_ what happened six months ago or I’ll put a fucking bullet in your skull.” To further his point, Nines leaned forward and pulled out his gun, resting it in his lap as he settled back against the couch cushions. 

Cop or not, a gun was still a gun and seeing the one on Nines’ lap instantly made Gavin rearrange himself and after a deep breath, he slowly started explaining.

He told of the investigation beforehand; the months and months of planning, of Richard and himself choosing the team to help them sort through the information they had found, eventually settling on the warehouse to raid. 

He explained about the Syndicate’s plant that no amount of planning had accounted for. 

He explained everything. 

How he watched Richard get incapcitated and strung up in the tech cradle, not being able to a goddamn fucking thing, everything right up until he was knocked out and woke up in a hospital bed several hours later. 

Gavin talked and Nines just listened, letting him completely finish talking before he started asking his questions, intently listening to each answer before he asked another.

He asked if Gavin knew why the Syndicate had been after Richard specifically. He asked more questions about the Syndicate plant and if Gavin knew anything more about that, he asked after his superiors and if he knew anything about the probable institution-wide corruption.

With every question, Gavin managed to get a sense of just how meticulous Nines was. If he didn’t give a good enough or detailed answer, the gangster would just glare at him, the gun that was still in his lap being enough of an incentive for Gavin to explain further without devolving into his temper. 

The longer they sat there however, the more Gavin found himself managing to relax, talk without feeling he was mere seconds away from turning around and telling Nines to fuck off. He didn’t even notice as the minutes turned into an hour and as the questions started taking a more personal turn, Gavin didn’t mind. 

Maybe it was the fact that he was sitting opposite the ghost of his boyfriend, Nines’ familiar face tinting his vision, rosy-ing him into opening up, letting Gavin fool himself into thinking that this wasn’t such a terrible idea.  
  
Ghosts always had the habit of haunting people at the worst time and here Nines was, proving that right. Gavin found himself looking into those familiar grey eyes and found himself almost forgetting.

“Did you love Richard?” Nines’ voice had an edge to it that Gavin hadn’t heard before. It sounded almost… soft. 

He was standing at the edge of a very slippery slope.

Pepper, Gavin’s long haired, tortoise-shell cat, hopped up and settled between them. She snuggled into Gavin’s hand that was resting on the cushions, managing to bury her head into the crook which made him scratch at her head, just like he knew she wanted.

She just wanted pets, but Pepper also managed to act as a buffer and gave Gavin the chance to collect his thoughts, looking at her instead of Nines and after a few moments, he let out a sigh.  
  
“I did,” Gavin paused, focusing his attention on Pepper, who let out a particularly pleased chirp as he scratched behind one of her ears. He shook his head, letting out a soft laugh as he finally struck up enough courage to voice his thoughts. “I actually thought he was the one I could maybe spend the rest of my life with.”

It felt strange to admit, but he was glad he said it, it almost felt like a weight off his shoulders.

It was ironic that this moment right now, felt almost like the therapy sessions he had been avoiding for six months. Ironic that he just so happened to be speaking with the man that caused the mess that was his life in the first place.

Gavin looked at Nines, shooting the gangster a sad, tired smile and he saw the android almost match his expression. Nines still held himself with a strict sense of constraint, but Gavin saw that icily stoic demeanour thaw somewhat.

Boyfriend or not, Nines and Richard did share some similarities and Gavin had learnt to read the tiny details, no matter how small. 

“I apologise, Detective.” 

He was pretty sure Nines had come here to kill him and now here the fucker was, apologising to him. Funny how much a few hours talking can make a huge difference.

“It’s not your fault.”  
  
“I am not Richard and will never be him.”  
  
“ _I know_.”  
  
Gavin did.  
  
He shot the android another curt smile before he downed the rest of his coffee, wincing slightly to himself over the fact that he’d left it long enough it had turned cold. 

“Y’know what’s fucking stupid, though? Since I saw you two days ago, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.” As Gavin looked over to Nines, he was expecting his expression to harden, those grey eyes to be glaring right at him, but instead he just saw Nines turn his head, shaking it to himself as he flicked on the safety on his Colt.

Nines was getting ready to leave. 

He watched the gangster pull himself up from the couch, casting one last glance around the living room as he slipped his gun back into its holster.

Gavin finally saw that softness start to disappear back behind those walls.  
  
“You would be wise to forget about me, Detective.”  
  
 _What the fuck?_

_No. No!_

Gavin shot up out of the sofa and followed after Nines who was making his way towards the front door.  
  
“Hold the fuck on a second-” He reached out and grabbed Nines’ wrist, forcing the gangster to turn around before he could leave and the glare he received was downright dangerous, but Gavin didn’t back down. 

“-You break into _my_ apartment, demanding answers to _your_ fuckin’ questions, forcing yourself into my life and now you want to leave like nothing fucking happened?!” Considering the anger that was coursing through his very being, Gavin thought he was being pretty fucking civil.

He searched Nines’ face, but when all that met him was silence, Gavin decided to continue.

“You fucking selfish prick! You don’t get to just fuckin’ walk away! What about all my questions?! What about-”  
  
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you either, Gavin Reed.”

_Oh._

That admission made Gavin falter, his grip on Nines’ wrist loosening until he eventually let go completely. 

“But we both know how this will end, Detect-”

Nines didn’t get to finish his sentence because Gavin cut him off with a kiss and when he felt the gangster reciprocate, Gavin couldn’t help but bring up a hand and cup his cheek.  
  
It was a stupid fucking idea. He was still holding his empty fucking coffee cup in his other hand.  
  
 _This is stupid, Gavin! So fucking stupid!_

He was a _cop._ Nines was a fucking _gangster,_ running with one of the most notorious gangs in the whole of Detroit. 

This really was going to turn into Romeo and Juliet.  
  
The two of them were on literal opposite sides of the playing field.  
  
 _This is a terrible fucking idea!_

Nines pulled back, turning back to face the door and before Gavin could stop himself, he took a step forward.  
  
“Will I see you again?” Gavin couldn’t even believe those words were falling from his lips, but there he was. 

“Perhaps.”  
  
And just like that, Nines disappeared through the door, leaving Gavin staring after him, clutching his empty coffee cup in silence and a still dark apartment like a goddamn idiot.

****

  
  


Weeks went by.  
  
Weeks since Nines had showed up in his apartment. Since he had kissed the gangster against his better judgment. Since Gavin had admitted that he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him.

Gavin had to go to work, pretend like nothing had happened the next day. 

He finished that report. Crossed the T’s and dotted the I’s, said ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ at the right times, sprinkled in a few ‘fuck offs’ and ‘fuck yous’ so he didn’t raise suspicion. 

Like fuck Gavin was going to tell anyone about this, it was just one kiss. Besides, it wasn’t like he was fucking the guy. 

Enough time went by that Gavin almost could fool himself into thinking everything was going to be fine, that Nines showing up had been nothing but a blip, but as soon as he settled into some sense of normality, it seemed like the universe knew and wouldn’t let him fucking have it.

The gangster showed up at his apartment again.

And again. 

Nines had said ‘perhaps’ all those weeks ago, but couldn’t stay the fuck away.

The first few visits just involved them talking. There was one entire evening that just involved them talking about Pepper because she had decided to curl up on Nines’ lap and wouldn’t leave no matter how many times he tried otherwise. 

No matter what they talked about, the evening would always end the same way, a kiss even though they both knew better. 

Gavin didn’t even care if Nines was after something and had some ulterior motive because for once, in the six months since Richard had disappeared, he was happy. 

Even if he knew something was coming, it still didn’t make it hurt any less when it came. 

A few days ago, instead of leaving like he usually did, Nines stayed. 

Their kissing turned heated.

Gavin was pressed up against a wall, getting his erection palmed through his pants as they exchanged heated kisses, a deft hand working him to length. Nines worked him to the edge, but stopped before he stumbled over, leading them both to Gavin’s bedroom. 

It didn’t take long for them both to get naked and once they were, Nines spread him with nimble fingers, prepping him for a few minutes before pushing in, Gavin taking him inch by inch and savouring the burn as he took him to the hilt. 

Nines fucked him into the mattress, not even stopping to let Gavin get used to everything before he started moving his hips, rolling them against Gavin’s ass, every moan causing him to move harder. 

The last time Gavin had sex, was the last time he and _Richard_ had sex.  
  
Seven months without getting laid? Gavin didn’t fucking care how rough Nines was, he fucking relished it.

It didn’t take long and after they were done, they were tangled up in Gavin’s bed together, limbs entwined and it amazed Gavin just how gentle Nines could be when he put effort into something. 

Resting in the crook of his arm, the gangster tracing idle shapes into his skin just above his naval, it was like they could pretend this was almost normal. Like if Gavin closed his eyes, he could pretend that Nines was Richard. 

Then the question came that was like a knife in the fucking back.

Nines asked him if he could get Richard’s memories for him from CyberLife and it caused the happy little lie to come crashing down. 

Gavin promptly kicked him out his apartment, told him to talk to Donovan if he wanted to find answers so fucking bad.

That was two days ago, but if Gavin knew what was waiting for him at the station, he would have gladly taken that over the shitshow that was waiting for him at work that morning.

Hank greeted him as soon as he turned up in the bullpen, his arms crossed and his face a thundercloud, but before Gavin could ask what was eating his fucking ass, the lieutenant led him to an interrogation room. 

Gavin couldn’t believe his fucking eyes.

Nines was sitting neatly at the table, looking bored as anything with his hands clasped neatly on top of the metal surface.

“He’s turned himself in… Said he’s willing to turn into some fucking mole, a double agent in order to bring down the Syndicate. All he wants is access to Richard’s memories and he’s said that you’ve promised that to him.”

The blood drained from Gavin’s face as his expression dropped.

_Fucking shit._


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are, the last chapter!
> 
> It was lovely to write this for the Reverse Bigbang and I was honoured to work with the lovely artist I got paired with, without them, none of this would have happened, so thank you Soul for making such lovely artwork! There's another piece in this chapter, so please send them some love in the comments! And another big shout out to Bones for beta'ing because you always keep my fics on the straight and narrow.
> 
> Secondly, it *will* be an open ending, just due to event timing. If people love this fic (I think many of you do), I might look into continuing this sometime in the future, so just keep in mind! 
> 
> Lastly, I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday period and stay safe! 
> 
> @spacebiotics on both tumblr and twitter if you want to say hi  
> and my lovely artist:  
> @souleixx on twitter

Gavin’s whole world came crashing down. 

Watching Nines through the one way glass, watching as those cold grey eyes seemed to focus in on him, Gavin felt his stomach drop. 

All he had been doing was delaying the inevitable because men like Nines _always_ got what they wanted. If it wasn’t straight away, then they eventually caught up and here Nines was, sitting like the devil, waiting to collect. 

Gavin hadn’t signed anything, hadn’t verbally affirmed that he was going to do a fucking thing, but that didn’t matter. People like Nines didn’t care, didn’t take no for an answer because once they got their claws in, they were not going to leave.

So here he was, silently making Gavin’s life a living hell, but Gavin supposed he deserved it.

Something like liaising with a gangster couldn’t be kept secret for very long. 

He had even slept with him for fuck sake. 

Gavin’s hands settled on his hips, an index finger tapping nervously on his belt just above his badge, chewing at the inside of his cheek. His face was pulled into a hard scowl, anything to cover the nerves he was feeling. Anything to hide the breakdown he was seconds from having.

The detective turned to face Hank after a few moments, the lieutenant had fallen suspiciously silent and seeing his face, Gavin knew why.

Hank looked downright furious. He could see the disappointment that flashed through his eyes as the man crossed his arms over his chest.

“What the _fuck_ have you done, Reed?!” His voice was a whisper, but the edge to it was unmissable. The way Hank had hissed out his words, it made them feel more like a shout. 

Gavin didn’t miss the way Hank had used his last name. It made dread grip at him ice-tight, the anxieties that were making themselves at home in the pit of his stomach quickly crept up his spine and his tongue felt heavy in his mouth. 

All Gavin could do was swallow and avert his eyes because every time he went to speak, he felt like he was going to be sick. 

“Tell me that this isn’t what I think it is.” Hank tried again when all he was met with was silence. 

“What the fuck do you want me to say?” Gavin snapped, but they both knew his hostilities were just a ruse. He finally met Anderson’s gaze, arms dropping lamely to his sides as he saw the glare he was met with.

The man shook his head and mumbled something under his breath before he moved towards him, clearly on his way towards the exit of the tiny observation room, but stopped by Gavin’s side.  
  
“I’m off to debrief Fowler. You’d be wise to be already in that interrogation room by the time we get back, Reed,” Hank paused as he sighed, running a hand over his already tired face as he rearranged himself, “Listen. I get that you miss Richard, Gavin, but I never thought you’d stoop this fucking low.” 

There it was. Gavin knew it was coming.  
  
He knew people were not stupid and would be able to piece two and two together.  
  
The stupid thought crossed his mind that he should open his mouth and argue that Nines really wasn’t too bad a guy. That underneath that ruthless and cold exterior, there was someone who talked about nonsense for hours and liked cats. But, Gavin knew that was likely a lie.  
  
A front that Nines put on in order to manipulate and here Gavin was, considering pleading his case.  
  
As quick as the thought crossed his mind, it disappeared and Gavin bit down whatever stupid argument was about to tumble from his lips. Instead, he just pulled his face into another scowl, meeting the look Hank was giving him and glared after the lieutenant as the man made his way towards the exit with a shake of his head. 

After he heard the door hiss open and closed, Gavin rested his hands on the table, looking at Nines on the other side of the glass as his thoughts built and fucking built. 

He finally let out the emotions that had been festering away under the surface, smacking his hands against the cool metal surface hard enough that it stung.  
  
“Fuck… _FUCK!”_ Gavin’s anger continued to bubble over. He grabbed at the chair that was neatly underneath the table, throwing it against the wall as his chest heaved. “ _Fuck.”_

He ran his hands through his hair, taking in a deep breath through his nose, letting it out through his mouth, letting himself calm down. After a moment, his arms swung back down by his sides and Gavin slinked over to the chair, carefully picking it up and neatly placing against the wall.  
  
Hank’s words rang in his head. 

If Nines wanted to speak to him specifically, there was no point in delaying the inevitable.

Gavin walked over and picked up the datapad off the table, then moved to place his palm on the reader, almost on autopilot, his legs carrying him towards the interrogation room and before he even knew what was happening, Gavin was sat opposite Nines. 

Head held high, back straight, perfect posture and dressed like he always was, there was no mistaking that Nines was the one who held all the cards. 

But there was something off about him, Gavin couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was.  
  
There was a downright predatory glint that flashed through his eyes when Gavin dared to look him in the face. The feeling it brought managed to build and linger before Gavin looked down at the datapad in front of him. It was fucking suffocating.

He felt more and more like he was on a knife’s edge, trying his best to balance lest he fell into Nines’ jaws, who was waiting like a lion below. 

“The DPD understand that you’ve decided to turn yourself in-”

Nines made a noise of disappointment. 

“-Willing to become a double agent in exchange for Richard’s memories. Well, I’m sorry to tell you that we can’t do that.”

Even to himself, his voice sounded foreign. Thick, almost fake. The words coming out of Gavin’s mouth were just a formality and they both knew it.  
  
“Come now, Detective Reed.”

Gavin slammed his hand down on the table, the force rattling the datapad and he finally looked Nines properly in the face, holding the gangster’s gaze and not backing down. 

“Richard’s memories are off the goddamn _fuckin’_ table!”

He wasn't sure where his outburst came from, but Gavin felt tears prick at the corners of his eyes and he willed them not to fall as he kept looking at Nines. He also prayed that Fowler and Hank weren’t in the observation room. If they saw that little outburst he’d probably be facing a disciplinary. Something he really didn’t fucking need right now.  
  
Gavin prayed and prayed an-  
  
“Oh, _Detective_.” Nines practically purred.

That honeyed tone wrapped itself around Gavin’s insides, made his skin crawl as it settled into his bones. He fucking hated how easily it made him come undone. 

“What is it you’re after, Nines?” Gavin was trying his best to ignore him.

The gangster stayed stock still, not moving, not doing anything, just watching him with cold eyes as a smile slowly curled his lips.

The action finally highlighted what had only been niggling at the back of Gavin’s mind, he finally realised why Nines seemed off.  
  
There was a faint scar running just underneath his left eye, starting by the outer corner and finishing just by his nose. Any thirium had long since evaporated, but the difference in colour was noticeable where the nanites in his skin hadn’t quite recovered, the scar just about visible every time it caught the light.

Gavin also noticed that a few stray strands of his hair had fallen over his forehead and he knew from the weeks that they had been seeing each other, that Nines usually styled it so fucking perfectly. He also saw that there was a speck of blood on the cuff of Nines’ shirt, almost hidden because the android had his sleeves rolled to his elbows, but Gavin caught it.  
  
Nines always made sure his appearance was immaculate, so they might have been tiny, little blink-and-you-miss them details, but to Gavin, they really stood out.

His temper melted away slightly. 

The haphazard way he had rolled his sleeves, the loose tie around his neck; Nines looked anything but poised and Gavin noticed the android’s eyes narrowed the longer he stared. 

He rearranged himself in his seat as he leaned forward, interlacing his fingers and clasping his hands together on top of the table.

“Nines… Is, uh- Is something wrong?”

Gavin waited, but the downright dangerous look he got in return made him falter and a scowl quickly crossed his features.  
  
The devil had came in wearing his Richard’s face and whispered in his ear, so fuck him for caring, right? Gavin knew he was a fool, but he couldn’t help it. 

He was just about to open his mouth and speak further when Fowler came through the door. 

The Captain strode into the room, commanding the space and drawing attention like the leader he was.  
  
“Reed? _Out_.”

Gavin didn’t need to be told twice.

He got up from the chair without a word, silently left and joined Hank in the interrogation viewing room. Connor was also in there with him, all three of them huddling around the viewer and watching as Fowler carefully placed a folder on the table and sat down. 

An hour went by of an intense back and forth, of Fowler treading over the basics and setting the tone, of trying to find out _why_ exactly Nines had willingly turned himself in and was sitting in the middle of his station. 

Every question was met with the same, cold disinterest.  
  
Nines gave his answers like he was saying his order at a restaurant; bored and detached, not like he was in the middle of something that was going to determine the rest of his fucking life.

Eventually, Fowler closed the file on the table with a sigh, slowly crossing his arms to his chest as he leaned back in his chair. He fixed the android opposite with an unreadable look.  
  
“Why now, Nines? Say if I believe all of it…. Why have you waited so long? You could have come to us much earlier, so why the sudden fucking change of conscience?” Fowler narrowed his eyes. The captain had been playing his cards close to his chest, they both had, because any sign of weakness in this situation was like blood in the water and they both knew it.

The android held his gaze, but still didn’t move. 

His back was still ramrod-straight, hands grasped neatly together on top of the table. The only hint of emotion came from his eyes, the glint that ran through them was deadly. 

A warning to not push too far.  
  
“I am not sure why that matters, Captain.” That warning also laced Nines’ words. Gave them an edge that was unmissable. 

“You better fucking cut the shit if we’re even going to entertain the idea of doing a deal.”  
  
_“We?”_

“My superiors... You know how this works, Nines.”

That made the gangster take pause. The silence that drew out was one that filled with tension, one that no one dared break. 

No one wanted to be the first one to burst the bubble it had formed. 

Nines’ eyes flickered quickly over to the one way glass before they settled back on Fowler in front of him. “Surely you must know that plans change.” Was all he chose to say.

A rather diplomatic non-answer, but everyone caught Nines looking at the observation room.

“And this ‘plan’ wouldn’t involve one of my detectives, would it?” Fowler posed.

He raised his eyebrows, waiting for the android to answer him, but nothing came. 

The captain let out a knowing hum and eventually pulled himself out of the chair, not even looking back as he strode over to the door and left. 

Seconds later, he was in the observation room and Gavin felt his world coming crashing down all over again.  
  
“Captain, I can expla-” He started, but Fowler promptly cut him off.  
  
“Don’t even think about it, Reed. The least you’re gonna fuckin’ face is a disciplinary.” 

Fowler stopped in front of the table, dropping the file on top before he turned around and shot Gavin a look that had him immediately swallowing down the rest of his argument. 

The detective promptly stepped back, coming to a stop by Hank’s side, a defeated, yet resigned look on his face as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“So what’s the play, Jeffrey?” Hank eventually braved speaking for all of them.

The captain let his question hang in the air, sniffing in a breath as his hands settled on his hips. Fowler was still looking at Nines in the opposite room. 

“We’re giving him what he wants.” He said eventually.

Gavin and Hank shared a look, not quite believing the words that had just come out of Fowler’s mouth. Even Connor seemed distressed at the revelation. 

“The higher ups already gave the go ahead back in my office, Anderson.” 

Gavin couldn’t access Richard’s memories, put them into a new body even if he wanted to because of the law, but now the same exact law was getting thrown out of the window. 

Funny how it could be completely ignored given the right circumstances.  
  
“ _Captain_... You can’t be fuckin’ serious?! You can’t fuckin’ give Richard’s memories to _him!”_ Gavin was surprised at how strong his voice sounded, but this was important.

Fowler just shot Gavin another look.  
  
“I think you forfeited your right to say _anything_ when you started seeing him outside work hours, Reed.” 

He waited, fully expecting Gavin to argue, but the truth to those words stung enough to make the detective fall silent once again.

After the mood settled, Hank once again spoke up for everyone.

“So, what’s going to happen, Jeffrey?”

“I’m going to go in there, tell that piece of shit we agree to his terms and then, you’ll all _really_ love this, he’s going to get to break out of custody, just so his cover holds.”

That news went down like a lead balloon and silence filled the room before Hank finally found his voice.  
  
“What about us?”

That question finally made Fowler turn to look at them.  
  
“We’re going to be the only ones in this building that know anything about it.”

  
  


Nines’ breakout happened exactly like Fowler said it would.

After the captain had one last talk with the gangster, when he was being transferred to a holding cell, Nines managed to ‘break’ free. He held Gavin hostage, backed them both up until he had a clear shot at an exit and escaped. 

Gavin had to give chase so as to not raise suspicion. He chased him down some dingy little back alley that was full of abandoned old stuff, a graveyard of metal and long forgotten things, finally catching up and causing Nines to tumble.  
  
The android managed to flip them, pinning Gavin to the ground, punched him clean in the face to keep up appearances before he leaned in and chased his fist with his mouth, kissing Gavin on the lips before that mask slipped back in place. 

“I’m looking forward to working with you, _Detective._ ”

That smug tone made Gavin’s temper flare, made tears prick in the corners of his eyes, but all Gavin could do was stay down and watch him leave.

That was two weeks ago.

Hank, Connor and Gavin all acted as Nines’ handlers; the three of them were to take it in turns, rotating out each week once they had contact with him. The first month was going to be a 'meeting' every week and then after that, contact would be reduced to a monthly basis. 

This week was supposed to be Gavin’s turn, but he still felt like he couldn’t face the smug prick without regretting it immediately.

He eyed his phone, his work alarm was due to go off in five minutes, but he pulled himself up and out of bed. He showered and got dressed, fed his cat, did most of his morning routine on autopilot because his thoughts were occupied on how best to beg Hank or Connor to take up his slot just this once.

 _God, you really are fucking pathetic_.

Gavin had prided himself on having a strong work ethic. After Richard disappeared, he’d thrown himself into his job just to avoid having to deal with the emotional fallout, but now here he was, unable to face doing his job.  
  
It was all just a lie. 

A front.

And Gavin was just now figuring that out.

Without even realising, he found himself in his car and the ten minute drive to the station flew by. Then he was in the bullpen, standing by Hank’s desk with his travel mug of coffee clutched tightly in his hand, nibbling at his lip as he waited for the old fuck to arrive.  
  
“Everything okay, Gav?” Hank eventually piped up from somewhere behind him.  
  
Gavin turned to face where the lieutenant’s voice had come from and when he caught sight of Hank’s slightly tired face, he saw the man’s irritated expression soften somewhat.  
  
For what had happened with Nines, Fowler had indeed given him a disciplinary and a slight pay cut, but given the extenuating and sensitive nature of the case surrounding the take down of Quantum Syndicate, Gavin was still allowed to keep working with Hank and Connor.

He knew he should really be given a demotion as well, so Gavin really was thankful, but-  
  
“Do you want me to take it today?” Hank’s quiet voice broke through his thoughts.

It was only a phone call, both sides touching base, but Gavin _couldn’t._

The relieved look that instantly crossed his features at those words had the lieutenant smiling tiredly in return.  
  
“You don’t mind?” Gavin just had to be sure.  
  
“Course not, but in return, you’re gonna do some of my paperwork for me.” Hank’s sly tone made it seem as if he was joking, but Gavin knew he wasn’t. Paperwork so he didn’t have to speak with Nines only seemed fair. 

Gavin nodded his head, blurting out a quick, “Sure,” even matching Hank’s smile with one of his own, just to be sure that the man knew he was genuinely grateful.

It wasn’t that he was avoiding talking to Nines, he just needed time to lick his wounds and he’d take paperwork and talking to Boy Scout any day of the fucking week.

So, Gavin hunkered down, joined Connor in their base as Hank took care of Nines and attended a few meetings. 

He happily sipped the shitty breakroom coffee as he spent his time typing up reports and working through the backlog of information Nines had been providing on the Quantum Syndicate. Thanks to him, the DPD were slowly forming a picture of a meeting that was going to happen between them and another one of the more high profile gangs in Detroit as the Syndicate were after forming a partnership.

It had been agreed that after enough information had been gathered and if it were safe enough, the DPD was going to stage another raid. 

Things actually seemed to be going well, it was strange.

Even as Gavin sat there, an hour before home time, his thoughts swirling because he’d been left alone a little _too_ long. There was a little voice whispering that this seemed extremely convenient given just how complicated their work surrounding the take down of the Syndicate had been before now.  
  
It all just felt a little too good to be true, a little too easy. And that feeling wouldn’t leave Gavin alone once he had thought about it a few hours earlier. He always trusted his gut feelings.

For as ruthless and meticulous as Nines was, for as strict as the Syndicate operated, it felt as if there was something they were all missing. 

As the minutes ticked by, as the end of his shift got closer and closer, he couldn’t help but feel as if they were just waiting to get fucked over. That Nines was playing not just them, but everyone. 

Gavin finished typing up the last paragraph. Considering he had a stack of files to work through and the space it had occupied was now empty, he thought he had done a good day’s work, even if he had been mainly sitting at a computer all day.  
  
“See you tomorrow, Detective.” Connor’s light tone filled his ears and Gavin looked up, following the android with his eyes for a moment, before he begrudgingly waved Connor goodbye.

If Boy Scout was leaving, then it was definitely home time.

Gavin stretched, a full body stretch, lifting his arms above his head, his shirt riding up so his happy trail was briefly on display as he leaned back in his chair. He held it for a few seconds, letting out a yawn for good measure before he brought his arms back down and hastily shut down his workstation. 

The drive back to his apartment was just as uneventful as the drive to work, the only difference was instead of worrying about what he was going to say to Hank, he was now thinking about Nines. 

As he rode the elevator up to his floor, he was trying to convince himself that his earlier thoughts had just been a result of his overactive imagination. As he stood watching the numbers climb, all he could think about was how soft Nines’ lips had felt against his in that alleyway. All he could fucking think about was how much he missed Richard. All he could think about was how easy it would be to call that smug fucking prick and ask him to come over. 

Angry tears slipped down Gavin’s cheeks as he finally stopped at his floor and he wiped them away on the back of a jacket sleeve as the doors slid open. He stepped out with a sigh, held his head down as he made his way towards his apartment. He didn’t even look up as he fumbled at his door, slowly pushing it open once he unlocked it. 

His trance was only broken when Gavin heard something fall to the floor.  
  
It was a thin bit of card that must have been wedged into the doorframe. A frown crossed his features as he bent down and scooped up the little card off of the floor. 

The side that was facing him was blank, so he was quick to flip it over and when he read the message on that side, his heart shot up into his throat. 

That neat CyberLife sans font was unmistakable, Richard wrote in exactly the same style.

It was from Nines.

 _ **‘Roof of your apartment building - 12AM’** _ _  
_ _  
_ His eyes read and reread the message, before he set it down with his keys on the side table in the hallway. 

Gavin roughly had three and a half hours until it was midnight.  
  
_You’ve got time to have dinner, relax, have a shower-_

Was he really contemplating meeting Nines on the roof later? If the fact that he was still standing in the hallway, eyes intently focused on the neatly handwritten card was anything to go by, then yes, he was.

_Fuck._

_FUCK._

Gavin pushed it from his mind as he went into the kitchen. 

First, he fed Pepper, then he rooted around in a drawer for a takeout menu. He blindly fished out a menu for a Japanese place a few blocks away, so that’s what he went with and a few taps on his phone, he had ordered pumpkin katsu curry. 

Ten minutes later, there was a knock on his door and it wasn’t long before Gavin was holed up on his couch, Pepper in his lap and he was eating his food whilst watching TV.

He spent an hour watching mindless reality shows before he kicked himself down to his building’s onsite gym to work out for an hour. 

Gavin had been doing enough to take his mind off of things, but as soon as he stepped back into his apartment, his eyes immediately zoned in on his side table.

Even though the card was hidden under his keys, Gavin’s mind instantly thought about it.

He had an hour and thirty minutes left.

Gavin showered, changed, fucked around and somehow, ten minutes to midnight, he found himself walking up stairs to the roof and once outside, he made his way towards the safety railing that ran the edge. 

He placed both hands firmly on the railing before he hunched himself over so he could peer down at the street below. Considering he had a mild fear of heights, it was a terrible idea, but Gavin did it every time he came up here when he really needed time to think.  
  
His eyes took in the neon lights and the quiet street and once he’d seen enough, Gavin straightened himself out so he was propped over it. He pulled out his phone, saw he still had five minutes left before Nines was supposed to be here. 

Gavin wanted to be early because he couldn’t face walking out seeing that face waiting for him, at least with being first, he felt like he had some semblance of control. 

He didn’t know what made him do it, but Gavin leaned over, fished out his hardly touched pack of cigarettes from his jacket and pulled one out. He lit it, managed to smoke half of it before he felt a presence by his side and when he did, Gavin didn’t hesitate. He held out his cigarette, felt as nimble fingers took it from his hand.

Gavin stayed facing straight ahead.

“Stressed, Detective?” Nines’ stoically smooth baritone quickly wrapped itself around his insides.

The question hung in the air between them and eventually Gavin shook his head and let out a quiet laugh. He was still facing straight ahead.  
  
“I uh- I used to smoke a helluva lot more before I got together with Richard,” Gavin paused, sniffing in a breath as he brought up his thumb to swipe over his nose, settling back down before he continued, “‘It’s a danger to your health, Detective’, he always used to say, but I eventually cut down and whilst I could tell he didn’t fully approve, he, uh- he let me have my odd occasions…” Gavin trailed off as he finally looked at Nines out of the corner of his eye.

The android took the last drag of the cigarette he had given him, had smoked it right down to the filter and Gavin watched as Nines held the smoke in his artificial lungs for a moment before he exhaled, slow and deliberate. Gavin focused his attention back forward with a slight dejected shake of his head. 

Love taught Richard to compromise, had taught them both to compromise.

“I just... miss him... I guess.” He finished, voice quiet. 

But Gavin wasn’t sure Nines knew what compromise was.

“I am not him, Gavin.” 

That stoic tone sounded so soft. Soft enough that Gavin had to close his eyes.

“I know.”

Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, but Gavin pushed his emotions deep down, coughing to clear his throat as he turned to properly face Nines and finally give him his full attention.

He was wearing a black dress coat that clung tight and neat to his frame and his hands were in his pockets. Nines really looked like the quintessential gangster, but Gavin supposed that was what he was. 

“Why are you here, Nines? Wh- what are you fuckin’ playing at, huh?” Gavin didn’t care anymore. 

Nines’ eyes twinkled.  
  
“Would you believe me if I say I missed you today? I was hoping to hear your voice.”  
  
The softness in his voice didn’t disappear and it was enough that Gavin could almost let himself pretend that Nines cared. He shook his head and barked out a laugh, he didn’t need to say anything because a sly little smirk crossed the gangster’s lips as he pulled out one of his hands and held up a sleek little stick of some kind.  
  
Gavin’s stomach sank as he realised what it was.  
  
Nines lowered his hand, letting the stick sit in the middle of his palm and a sequence of images was played just above.  
  
_Richard’s memories._

The android let the images play for just a moment before the little holographic interface fizzled out in a burst of static as he rolled his hand into a fist and he lowered his arm to his side. 

“I guess you got what you wanted, huh?” Gavin posed.  
  
“Not entirely.” Nines’ reply made Gavin falter for a moment and the frown he shot the gangster’s way made him let out a little laugh of his own. 

The android took a step forward. 

“I truly do not care about Richard’s memories, but are you not tired, Gavin?”

He was. Now that Nines had said it and Gavin truly thought about it, he was. He had spent long enough running from everything that happened that he really didn’t fucking care anymore.

Gavin had spent the last six months falling back on his job, waking up early and coming into work the same exact time every single fucking day. 

He had held himself together with his temper and with one too many coffees; Gavin really had been held together by strings and he was just now realising that they had snapped as soon as Nines turned up in his apartment the very first time.

He had pushed most of his friends and colleagues away, but had fallen for Nines without so much as a backwards glance. 

He was lonely, but Nines had never once been judgmental. 

“Are you not tired of running around and playing second fiddle? Your police captain gave me Richard’s memories simply because it suits their narrative. Your friends? Your colleagues? They do not care.”

A voice inside his head told Gavin that wasn’t true, one that he usually listened to time and time again, that Nines was saying anything to manipulate him into playing along, but for the first time, Gavin stopped listening to that voice.  
  
Nines took another step forward, stepped into Gavin’s personal space, but Gavin didn’t step back.  
  
He watched as Nines slowly reached forward and took his hand in his own. Gavin went rigid, fully expecting something terrible, but the android just gently placed the little stick in his hand, curling his fingers around it before he stepped back.  
  
“I am giving them to you, Gavin.”  
  
Gavin looked down at the little stick in his hand.  
  
“You will never get him back because strangely, I enjoy being alive.”  
  
The detective tipped up his head and looked Nines in the eye, searching his face for answers, pleading silently as his words were still failing him.  
  
“You want to know what I’m planning and I want to tell you, but I cannot have you living in the past, Detective. So... You have a choice.”  
  
Nines pulled his coat around him. He was getting ready to leave. Again. Always ready to leave, but never quite ready to stay.  
  
“Keep them and I walk out of your life forever when I leave here. Or, you could show me that you want what I want... That _we could work together._ ” 

Gavin faltered and the android caught his hesitation. 

_Nines had never once been judgmental_. 

That was a lie, but Gavin didn’t care because for once, he wanted to believe in fairytales. 

The gangster’s face was unreadable as he turned on his heel and made his way towards the door that led to the stairwell. 

Just as Nines reached for the handle, there was the distinct sound of technology being crunched underfoot and a small smirk curled his lips, but he didn’t look back.

Gavin decided he wanted to see just how deep this rabbit hole went.


End file.
